Brian "Psychochild" Green and the MMOBro recently had a little debate about whether it is better to have a single mega-server architecture for an MMORPG or multiple independent servers. Many of Psychochild's arguments for independent servers reflect a developer's concern for technical issues. While design and implementation are important considerations, ultimately both serve to enhance or detract from the player experience.
I like the idea of monolithic MMOs, but I get Psychochild's point about communities and playstyle. Allowing communities to congregate based on common interest gives the developers a chance to tailor aspects of the game to serve those interests. At the same time, isolated communities tend to develop elitist, exclusionary attitudes that may not be healthy for the game. I agree that some communities need to be protected from trolls and bullies, but it should not come at the cost of ghettoizing individual players who might like to branch out.
And what about friends you meet outside of the game, whether online or in the real world? I've met plenty of people in my travels who play World of Warcraft, for example, but never any who actually play on the same servers I do. When character progress becomes the driving force behind most games—and don't deny that it is in MMORPGs, despite the "RP" factor—it sucks to divide time and resources between servers because you might occasionally like the thrill of open world PvP, but still enjoy high-end raiding with your friends to don't PvP at all.
The big issue, as MMOBro says, is whether friends can easily play together if they meet or discover their common interest after establishing themselves in the game. Much of the problem with multiple servers could be solved by lowering the barrier to play together. TSW (which I am not currently playing, but which I consider one of the better games out there) does this fairly seamlessly. While there are multiple servers, the game design (and the story) work around the idea of a hub (called Agartha) where, unless you are in a group or get invited to another server/instance, you always return to the default server. The default server becomes more of a home rather than a confinement. The servers definitely have their own flavor, but there is no barrier for players who want to (occasionally) play together. And some world events encourage the mixing of the entire playerbase.
I have no problem with multiple servers if transferring characters from one to another doesn't involve a money grab by the developer. As Psychochild points out, in the currently typical MMO, people have to make hard choices about who they are going to play with. Friends have to coordinate ahead of time what server they want to play on and what community they want to be part of, as in real life. But isn't that kind of what the internet is all about, being able to form friendships and communities that are not based on a limiting factor like geography? The real world forces these choices, but why should the gaming world?
And what about friends you meet outside of the game, whether online or in the real world? I've met plenty of people in my travels who play World of Warcraft, for example, but never any who actually play on the same servers I do. When character progress becomes the driving force behind most games—and don't deny that it is in MMORPGs, despite the "RP" factor—it sucks to divide time and resources between servers because you might occasionally like the thrill of open world PvP, but still enjoy high-end raiding with your friends to don't PvP at all.
I have no problem with multiple servers if transferring characters from one to another doesn't involve a money grab by the developer. As Psychochild points out, in the currently typical MMO, people have to make hard choices about who they are going to play with. Friends have to coordinate ahead of time what server they want to play on and what community they want to be part of, as in real life. But isn't that kind of what the internet is all about, being able to form friendships and communities that are not based on a limiting factor like geography? The real world forces these choices, but why should the gaming world?
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I think of Servers as analogous to cities or countries. The arguments about convenience for friends playing together are, for me, heavily outweighed by the attractions of traveling between different outposts of a culture and exploring the differences.
ReplyDeleteIn MMOs that take a multiple server approach (and always assuming I play long enough for it to come into play) I usually make characters and play regularly on multiple servers. In my EQ heyday I had regularly-played characters on Luclin, Stromm, Lanys T'Vyl. Brell Serilis, Ant Bayle, Test and Tholux Paells and every one of those servers had a distinct and definable local feel. That's not even getting into the special ruleset servers, which obviously deviate hugely from a game's local cultural norms.
I've always been a lot more interested in experiencing the differing communities within an MMO than in porting my own bubble of friends around to make sure everywhere feels the same. When GW2 moved to Megaserver tech it knocked a huge hole in any sense of belonging and ownership I felt for the game. It's no co-incidence that my interest in WvW, which retains server identity, boomed at just the time Megaservers arrived.
Many people do not have the time to devote to multiple characters across many realms. Ease of transfer from one realm to another (for those that choose to) is what I am after more than advocating a single mega-server concept.
DeleteBasically what Bhagpuss says. For people who haven't really experienced the different communities in a game, it can be hard to understand why this is important. The issue of playing easily with your friends looms larger. And, unfortunately, game developers don't really explore different rulesets much, which I think could be something that keeps MMOs fresh.
ReplyDeleteI disagree with the use of the term "ghettoizing", which I think has too many negative connotations. It's more like willing separation. It's like having individual rooms for each family instead of everyone sleeping in a common room.
I used the term for reason, I see the situation as ghettoizing, whether the players are doing it voluntarily or not. Families may have separate rooms, but it is not difficult to pass between them. The barriers put up by developers are what I do not like about multi-server systems.
DeleteAny estimated time when you'll be playing TSW again? There's probably loads of story content through issues 9-15 that is available... auto meetup is on 😉
ReplyDeleteNo idea, mate. I'm hot and heavy into Legion right now. I do miss ya'll though.
DeleteI don't mind different servers if the game tries to cater to different communities with them. Most MMOs these days do not. Therefore, I prefer single server MMOs overall.
ReplyDeleteYes, the multiple rulesets mentioned by Psychochild and Bhagpuss are fascinating, but I was into MMOs when those were a thing. The other side of that is that MMOs themselves were smaller then. Instead of thousands of players, devs are hoping for hundreds of thousands. Frankly, there's not much "community" in that huge a crowd besides those friends one chooses to hang out with.
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