mega-servers
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SWTOR devs hint at mega-servers
We saw this with DC Universe Online: when the population dropped below the level SOE was looking for, it decided to combine all the individual servers into a small group of mega-servers. The same thing could be a distinct possibility for Star Wars: The Old Republic. Yesterday, we reported on PC Gamer's interview with Lead Game Designer Daniel Erickson. When asked if the new group finder would be cross-server, Erickson replied that it would be single-server because "we are coming up on a huge move to servers with massively higher population caps than we have today." Of course, there are no details about these massive servers yet, but this quote does suggest that BioWare is looking for a critical-mass solution that is more than just simple character transfers. We will be sure to keep you abreast of the details as we inch closer to the launch of Update 1.3.
DC Universe Online merging regular servers into MegaServers this Monday
DC Universe Online's rapidly approaching MegaServers unification program will be joining heroic forces together, whether they like it or not. The costumed crime-fighting MMO's 26 worldwide servers are set to be merged into 4 "MegaServers;" 1 PC and 1 PS3 server for the US, with twin servers created for the EU. Previously hailed as "Super-Servers," MegaServers will give players the ability to switch between PvP and PvE styles of gameplay, and hopefully, new people to actually play with. The merge will begin for EU servers on Monday morning, with US servers following on Tuesday and Wednesday. As is the way with these things, some players will be forced to change their names after the merge, as two characters cannot exist with the same name on the same server. Head past the break for a few new name suggestions, as well as a full list of which servers are merging where.
Alter-Ego: What's in a name?
While it is incredibly tempting to go off on a tear about the major decision announced this week to reboot the entire DC Comics universe, starting 52 new comics at issue #1 and essentially retconning every hero and villain we've known to date, this week's column isn't about that. After all, this isn't a comics site, and we've already heard from the DC Universe Online developers that the continuity in the game is separate from that of the overall DC Universe. (Considering how much we heard that noted in the recent chats, we wonder whether Sony Online Entertainment didn't know this major shake-up was on the way.) As such, I suspect we will see the game's storyline remain essentially intact, at least until the point at which we finally take down Brainiac once and for all. After that, it's anyone's guess. Depending on how the reboot works, it might well shake up the game's direction if the new comics are doing well with readers. No, instead our superpowered game is getting its own different version of a restart in the promised upcoming MegaServer merges. While before we had multiple servers, each side will now have two -- one PvP and PvE for both PC and PS3 players -- giving us a total of four. Over this mad-scientist server-mashup, the issue of collisions looms. This week, we also found out that the merges will not only affect player names but league names as well, ensuring that there is plenty of confusion and concern on the part of the playerbase. Will MegaServers be the bane or balm of DC Universe Online's population issues? What precisely are the facts and fallacies? Whom will this affect? Join me behind the break as I take a look at the overall situation!
DC Universe Online's megaservers to use phasing rulesets
When DC Universe Online first announced its "super servers," the whole matter seemed pretty cut and dried. These were server mergers under another name, right? Well... perhaps, but perhaps not quite. As a new piece on the merger explains, the servers are going to continue to operate both the PvP and PvE rulesets as before -- players who select the PvP type will be in a phased instance with other PvP players, while PvE players will be in a separate phase. There's also some discussion about switching phases to ensure that you and your friends wind up in the same place. The overall feel is that the team is aiming toward a Guild Wars-style environment, with a single server and multiple instances within that server. DC Universe Online players can take a look at the answers and form their own conclusions, although the fact that these servers still segregate PC and PS3 players will likely remain a sore point.
