realm
Latest
WildStar announces megaservers
WildStar will be cleaning up its server list and condensing populations in the future, as Carbine Studios announced today that it will be implementing megaservers for the game. The team did caution that it "still some ways away" from the change but wanted to get the news out now. "Going the megaserver route means that we vastly increase server capacity allowing for greater critical mass of our player base, resulting in more people, more groups, more activity and more raids... more of everything that makes WildStar so fun," the team posted. The new megaservers will eliminate the old rulesets and replace them with one PvP and one PvE server per region (North America and Europe). The region lock will still apply, however. The team will also be putting specific chat channels (such as roleplay or French) to offset this elimination of old rulesets. All players will be getting an increased number of character slots to 12 when the megaservers go live, and Carbine will be adding last names to avoid name conflicts. In the meantime, Carbine is allowing for free realm transfers for everyone.
The Game Archaeologist: Kingdom of Drakkar
You'd think that by now I would be running out of older MMOs and their kin to cover, but I just keep discovering more. Some of those discoveries are helped by Massively readers, who have urged me from time to time to investigate certain games. One such commenter, Space Cobra, has been after me for quite a while (as in years) to do a write-up about Kingdom of Drakkar, and I finally caved. Here you go, good buddy! Kingdom of Drakkar, also known as Drakkar or Kingdom of Drakkar II, is a really odd duck in the MMO history books. While being very small potatoes for the industry as a whole throughout its entire lifespan, it's notable for an extraordinary long run (it began in the 1980s, people!) that's traversed through several format changes and handlers. I've seen it described, somewhat unkindly, as a "shoddier Ultima Online," but I think that is a surface judgment that doesn't take the effort to get to know the game or its legacy. There must be something to this game if it's been around for three decades, yes? Let's find out!
Breakfast Topic: How did you choose your realm?
In World of Warcraft, choosing your realm is a pretty big decision. Even as cross-realm raids, cross-realm zones, and connected realms have made it easier for you to play with others no matter which realm each of you are on, the realm you choose still has a tremendous impact on your gameplay. Which realm you choose determines the guilds on offer, how crowded -- or deserted -- zones are, and even the in-game economy. And yet many of us choose realms very much by chance, perhaps because they were recommended to us when we first logged in or because we had gotten the game to play with a friend (even if that friend has long since quit playing). So my question for you today readers is simple: how did you choose your realm? Have you regretted your choice since?
WildStar explains how MMO servers work
Welcome, class, to MMO Servers 101! Your professor today is Carbine Studios Lead Network & Database Engineer David Ray, and he's here to give a technical overview of how MMOs set up and run their servers. Please take notes. While Ray won't reveal all of Carbine's secrets, his explanation should be sufficient if you're curious as to how an average MMO sets up its backend. If you're expecting an article that reveals WildStar's server rulesets, specific regions, or other practical player concerns, then this is not for you. However, it is a frank and fascinating look at the guts of the ship that runs MMOs, and considering that Ray has worked on both the space shuttle and other MMOs, we suspect that there's a good chance he knows what he's talking about.
Maintenance downtime extended
Blizzard's Customer Support Team has announced via Twitter that maintenance downtime has been extended to 1 p.m. PST for both World of Warcraft and Diablo 3. #WoW and #D3 #Maintenance has been extended until 1PM PST. We'll provide additional updates as they become available to us. - BlizzardCS (@BlizzardCS) December 11, 2012 As always, WoW Insider will keep readers abreast of any new updates to the situation, but if you're at a loss for what to do while the servers are down, Daniel Whitcomb put together this morning's Last Week In WoW, in which he predicted some downtime, as well as putting together the best of this week's news in one handy article. If that's not enough reading for you, WoW Insider has just put out a call for writers, and, of course, posted last night about the latest set of hotfixes. Mists of Pandaria is here! The level cap has been raised to 90, many players have returned to Azeroth, and pet battles are taking the world by storm. Keep an eye out for all of the latest news, and check out our comprehensive guide to Mists of Pandaria for everything you'll ever need to know.
Leaderboard: Two factions vs. three factions
Two vs. three: It should be a cut-and-dry affair. After all, three is always better than two? Maybe... but maybe not. When it comes to factions in MMOs, the line seems to be split between two and three, and I think a good case can be made for both. Two factions is the majority approach for MMOs that have them, and it's easy to understand why. We can comprehend an "us vs. them" mentality in almost every walk of life. If you're not with us, you're against us -- that sort of thing. Two factions draws a line in the sand and requires little explanation for people to understand that one side is naturally better than the other. Three factions, on the other hand, is a godsend for PvP in particular. By having a third faction, it's much less likely that one side can dominate the battlefield eternally, as the other two sides can team up to put an end to that nonsense. Three factions also offers more variety and arguably stronger factional identities. So what say you? Two or three? Cast your vote after the jump!
How players are using cross-realm raiding to foster communities
With the introduction of cross-realm raiding in patch 4.3.2 and the Raid Finder, players have gone above and beyond in creating new and exciting server-less communities that bring in raiders from all over the world via Real ID grouping. While the Dragon Soul raid is not available currently for players using cross-realm raiding, all other raids and difficulties are, and there is no better time to go back to old content and finish off stuff during the wait until the next expansion. Sites like LFRaid.com and Twitterland Raiding are two communities that have sprung up quickly in this new cross-realm raiding world. Twitterland Raiding is a website created for the Twitter WoW community to form up groups for raiding across server lines. With a centralized place to express interest in raiding as well as no server structure or logistics to worry about besides Real ID names (which gets immensely easier with the introduction of BattleTags), raiding can happen in greater volume and more quickly.
Cross-realm Real ID grouping now available
A few months back, Blizzard teased that a new service would be hitting WoW that would allow members of the same faction to group and queue for random dungeons across servers. Players would need to be Real ID friends with the people they wanted to invite into a group and would be limited to 5-man dungeons; no raids or world content would be available to cross-server groups. The service has apparently just gone live, free, for what is probably a limited time. Blizzard had also said that this cross-realm grouping would be part of the premium package of WoW services that players can pay for monthly, and only the group leader doing the invites would have to have the service in order to invite people cross-realm. Much as the mobile guild chat feature was rolled out free to let people check it out, it appears cross-realm Real ID grouping is getting the same trial period. Check out cross-realm Real ID grouping in game, and start grouping with your friends beyond server boundaries, and hit the jump for the full announcement.
Free realm transfers to lower-population servers
It's that time of year again -- the time when certain realms are filled to the brim, making them nigh unplayable. The release of Cataclysm has hit specific U.S. realms hard, and Blizzard is offering to help balance out population issues. To make life easier on these servers, Blizzard is offering free realm transfers to lower-population servers. The high-populations realms are: Barthilas (Oceanic-PvP) Blackrock (US-PvP) Frostmourne (Oceanic-PvP) Illidan (US-PvP) Kel'Thuzad (US-PvP) Kil'jaeden (US-PvP) Tichondrius (US-PvP) The destination realms are as follows: Altar of Storms (US-PvP) Arathor (US-PvE) Fenris (US-PvE) Garrosh (US-PvE) Grizzly Hills (US-PvE) Gul'dan (US-PvP) Gundrak (Oceanic-PvP) Nazjatar (US-PvP) Shattered Halls (US-PvP) The Forgotten Coast (US-PvP) Blizzard has stated that while these transfers are still free, they are subject to end once the destination realms fill up. So if you or your guild are planning a move, you should start now to avoid any complications. Most questions on free realm transfers should be on this handy FAQ. As always, a realm transfer to any of the ones not listed still requires a paid character transfer.
Compensation for last week's extended downtime
In what will surely please anyone who follows or was affected by extended realm downtimes, Blizzard has quietly announced compensation for the realms affected by it last week. We covered the downtime last week as it occurred. Even after having worked at Blizzard, I'm unsure as to how the decision is made to or not to offer compensation for downtime, but I'm glad that it does get offered periodically. It's no fun to have a day off or a light workday and then discover that the realm that houses your main is down, again. Regardless, if you were on any of the realms listed after the cut, you should see that a 24-hour credit has been added to your subscription on your Account Management page. Take this, your blue badge of courage, and hold it high to the heavens, your karmic reward for not pitching a fit. "We cool, Blizz. We cool."
Guildwatch: The waiting game
More and more guilds are becoming just like Zen, above -- they're downing Anub in Trial of the Crusader, and then wondering just what's next? The answer, of course, is Icecrown, but even our best estimates have that release a month away still. Not that anyone's blaming Blizzard yet -- quite a few guilds are still working on hard modes, and more people are worried just what'll happen after Icecrown (though I wouldn't be surprised if Blizzard still has a few cards up their sleeve for that one). But still, at this point, guilds are reaching their limits, and we're starting to see the calm before the storm of raiding in patch 3.3. That doesn't mean Guildwatch isn't busy -- we've got the usual downed, drama, and recruiting notices from around the realms. And if your guild is still active, be sure to tell us about it: send a tip to guildwatch@wow.com, and you'll see it here in the future. Read on for more.
Maintenance for Tuesday November 10th
There will be a round of realm maintenance for everyone tomorrow, Tuesday November 10th from 5:00 a.m. PST / 8:00 a.m. EST until 11:00 a.m. PST / 2:00 p.m. EST. This is more or less the "normal" maintenance time we've all come to know and love. The downtime tomorrow should not be taken as any indication that patch 3.3 is dropping; that event is still a couple weeks away at best. The patch tonight was a "tools patch," that while temporarely screwed things up for the majority of people, wasn't anything that changed things significantly -- at least as far as we all can tell. If anything else develops of this downtime, we'll be sure to let you know.
The login server is currently busy [Updated]
Many people have been writing into our tip line that they are unable to log in to their servers at this time. Both Battle.Net and non-Battle.Net users are complaining that authentication is down for them. I received the above error message myself, however my husband is able to log in just fine.We'll keep you updated should Blizzard say anything officially or other developments arise. In the meantime, I will be trying again later as the message asks me to do.Update 7:46PM: Most people are reporting that the authentication issues are fixed.Update: The following message is currently displayed upon login.
The Queue: Are you a god?
Welcome back to The Queue, WoW.com's daily Q&A column where the WoW.com team answers your questions about the World of Warcraft. Adam Holisky will be your host today.A simple question instead of an introduction.%Poll-31854%Go get her, Ray!Some music too which you can listen to while reading today's Queue. And some more. Don't watch the videos, they're dumb. But the music is great.Angus asked... "Why is there a defense channel for every zone? Specifically, why would anyone be attacking the Twisting Nether? I found this to be my most amusing channel. The raid or instance ones are funny, but this one always cracks me up."
Maintenance for Tuesday June 2nd
Maintenance, you say? Unheard of! After all, what is wrong with a Paladin standing upright while riding her horse? Or what's wrong with constant errors telling intrepid adventurers additional instances cannot be launched?Well, okay. Something might be wrong with those things. Hopefully tomorrow's maintenance will bring fixes to them. But more importantly based on all account it'll be bringing patch 3.1.3 with it as well.Maintenance will last from 3:00 a.m. PDT until 11:00 a.m. PDT. Unless, of course, you on one of the few dozen realms listed after the break. For those special realms, maintenance will last from 12:01 a.m. PDT until 12:01 p.m. PDT. Why is it starting at the :01? Because Blizzard wants you to have an extra minute to complete raids tonight. That's how much they care. And you know what? So do I... (Click it... I dare you.)The full list of realms under the extended maintenance after the break.
Free EU character migrations
There are a handful of free EU character transfers to report on today, all focused on the faction differences on the realm Magtheridon.Now Magtheridon was always a pain in the butt in the days before his colossal nerf. It was a big challenge when BC was released to coordinate a couple groups of five people to click on cubes all at one time. I'd always say on vent very calmly: "Three, two... one... click-click-click. Good work. Break." Or "Three, two... one... click-click-click. Terrible. Wipe it."Does that obnoxious and repetitious pattern which still haunts me in my dreams have anything to do with the character migrations? Probably not.The full list of realms after the break.
A guide to shutting out the world (of Warcraft)
WoW is a very social game, and you might think that there is no getting around it. Fortunately for those who relish their alone time, there are several ways to minimize contact with other players and have some quiet time. While some people will argue that you should stop playing social games like MMORPGs, there are plenty of solo activities, and if that is what you want to do, more power to you.Today, I will be answering some reader mail from Heidi who desperately wants some peace and quiet.
Realm maintenance for Tuesday March 31st
The winds swept across the frozen plains making swirling geometric patterns in the snow laden prairie grass. This was a cold day in the northern land, both in weather and in heart. For it wasn't only the snow, but the chilled waters which were causing the kingdom concern; up and up they went, rising over the rivers banks. The land's people thought they could hold them at bay but none could be sure.The engineers flew over the homesteads of their countrymen, working diligently in their flying machines to hold back the mighty waters. And while things were quiet now, it was predicted by those with foresight to not be quiet for much longer. More movement in the waters was coming, and it was something that no man wanted to see. The kingdom was under the protection of the councilmen and councilwomen, yet they were impeded in their efforts at every turn by the maniacal Lich King, laughing and taunting them with his powers over the frozen wastes. "Petty mortals, do you really think you can withstand the power of the mighty Scourge?" he chided the citizens who dared brave the cold north. Sitting atop his ice crowned citadel there was nothing he couldn't see, nothing he couldn't do. For the domain of the north was his and his alone. Except upon this day the voice of the gods and the wizards of Dalaran opened up their mouths and spoke in unison.
Realm maintenance for Tuesday February 24th
"I'm not looking forward to this," Fargor grumbles as he rests his heavy two-handed Paladin mace on the side of his legs. "I know that when I awake tomorrow things will not have improved." He shuffles his chest plate around, getting more comfortable for the forced sleep ahead of him."And damned if I do even wake up!"Fargor slams his hairy Dwarven fist down on the wooden table, angry at the ruling Wizards of Dalaran for their impositions on him and everyone else.All Osull and Marcella can do is look back and nod in acknowledgement, as they too feel more and more angst at the Wizards for their mysterious ways. "At least it will only be part of a day," Osull offers up in comfort of the Dwarf. Marcella lays a supportive hand on the Osull's shoulder and nods her head in agreement, "Indeed kind Dwarf, it's only for eight hours."The platitudes seem to do nothing for Fargor, as he shakes his head and says "Eight hours or eight years, it doesn't matter lass. No one should have a right to tell a Dwarf what to do!"And as he says that the Wizards can suddenly be heard throughout the city, "The realms will be down from three to eleven in the morning, as the mighty pacific clock tells time. Sleep well now citizens of Azeroth, for when tomorrow you awake things will be fresh and new..."The voice trails off into nothingness and across the realms everyone stops what they're doing and falls asleep as they are.The Wizard's maintenance has begun.One week ago...
Some realms are up [Updated]
The wispy voice from the previous evening greets Osull as he begins to regain consciousness. "The realms... are up... the realms... are up..." it says over and over again.The mantra becomes stuck in his head like a mind worm as he wipes the sleep from his eyes. He looks around in a daze and realize that he's back near his home in the neighborhood's bar, A Hero's Welcome, sitting at table being served a drink by Marcella. "What time is it?" Osull ask the waitress. His voice is rough and it's evident he needs a drink to wash away the night's forced sleep."It just rang 11 not a short time ago, mighty Warrior," she replies. Placing a large flagon of mead in front of Osull, the smell of the hops fills his nose with a promise of further adventure tonight. But something doesn't feel right; it's almost as if the wizards of Dalaran have not released everyone from their sleeping spell."Marcella!" Osull yells franticly. "Where is everyone else?"
