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f13.net  |  f13.net General Forums  |  The Gaming Graveyard  |  RIFT  |  Topic: That big world event? 0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.
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Author Topic: That big world event?  (Read 16558 times)
Hutch
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Reply #35 on: April 19, 2011, 07:58:18 AM

Didn't Asheron's Call have that thing where if too many people got into one area, random people would be teleported away?

Yeah. They were called portal storms. They frequently went off in places like Arwic, monthy event or no monthy event.

My dim hazy memories of the Shadow Invasions are dominated by lag, latency, rubber-banding, and disconnections. Granted, it was the year 2000, so I was still on a dial up, and using the sort of PC hardware that was available in 2000. I can't recall whether portal storms were part of the game before the Shadow Invasions, or if they were invented as a response.

Bottom line, I don't know if anyone has yet invented a tech that can allow hundreds of players to congregate together online *without* lag, latency, disconnects, etc. It might not be possible with current hardware.

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Draegan
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Reply #36 on: April 19, 2011, 08:34:09 AM

I didn't get to play in the event, I had to get married instead.
Stormwaltz
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Reply #37 on: April 19, 2011, 08:35:43 AM

Would love to hear what those solutions were?  Apparently nobody since has been able to repeat them.

It's nothing special - just common sense. If you're relying on technology to solve hotspot problems, you've already failed.

Don't have the capstone event occur in one location a single time. That flat-out doesn't work in MMGs. Run multiple copies of the event over the course of a couple weeks.

Spread out the events to run at all hours of the day. Not everyone plays at the same time, and not everyone lives in the same time zone.

Try to have aspects of the event occur in multiple locations at the same time. Cast a broad net and players will clump up into smaller and more manageable local groups. (I felt the Rift team utterly grokked this one, until the final event proved that everyone makes mistakes.)

Have content for all levels. A level 50 boss isn't content for anyone below level 45.

Make an effort to synergize cooperation between levels. A bone-stick-stone crude example: keys from events areas limited to <20 characters are needed in areas limited to 20+ characters.

Know where your players congregate outside of towns. It is all right to run events in areas that are already crowded, but only if they're not locations that many people can teleport to. Places people can run to in dribs and drabs tax the server less than places people can press a button and all pop to instantly.

Never announce start times and event locations beforehand or out-of-game. Always announce in-game when the event begins.

If you're using GM/dev ops, have clear pre-defined rules of engagement, and make sure everyone understands them beforehand. Rule #1 is, players must be allowed to opt-in. For example, if you're playing a hostile god who can crushinate any PC, don't smite anyone who hasn't attacked you first.

About the AC portal storms, they were always in the game, though rarely seen in beta due to the low population. The system was designed such that the person who'd been in the area longest would be the first to be teleported away (although for some time - I don't remember how long - long it was bugged so the last person in would be the first teleported out). They were a tech band-aid over what was essentially a design problem of population control.
« Last Edit: April 19, 2011, 08:38:02 AM by Stormwaltz »

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March
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Reply #38 on: April 19, 2011, 08:51:07 AM

I didn't get to play in the event, I had to get married instead.

Eh, much the same... forced grouping...general confusion...lots of standing around waiting for other people to do things...lights, music, costumes...a few people crash and you don't see them the rest of the time....(if its a Dothraki event/wedding - then a few dead people) and when it is all over, neither your nor your wife can really remember any details of why it was so awesome.

Plus, you get lots of boxes of "gifts" that will enhance your character about 1 in 3 times.  The rest you sell for plat.

Occasionally, you get a formal apology from someone who should have known better.
Lantyssa
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Reply #39 on: April 19, 2011, 09:39:57 AM

I didn't get to play in the event, I had to get married instead.
Now why'd you go and schedule it for the same time as a one-off event?  Some RIFT fanboy you are.

Also congrats! Grin

Hahahaha!  I'm really good at this!
Xanthippe
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Reply #40 on: April 19, 2011, 09:41:52 AM

I didn't get to play in the event, I had to get married instead.

Congratulations!
Draegan
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Reply #41 on: April 19, 2011, 11:48:02 AM

I didn't get to play in the event, I had to get married instead.
Now why'd you go and schedule it for the same time as a one-off event?  Some RIFT fanboy you are.

Also congrats! Grin

Bah, technically it was planned for the week before!

And thanks :)
Count Nerfedalot
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Reply #42 on: April 19, 2011, 05:10:51 PM

So, the way AC solved problems with having massive events was to not have massive events?   Ohhhhh, I see.

Don't get me wrong.  I loved AC probably more than any other MMO yet, and the orbital laser strike (or whatever it was) wiping out Arwic still ties the seasonal terrain changes for best world changing events in an MMO EVAR.

But AC had some serious problems that lessened the overall experience (and duration of my subscription) chief among them being the killer rubberbanding due to SERVER lag.  Not client lag, not network latency (I generally ran with sub-100ms pings to the servers), but definitely server lag due to Turbine and/or Microsoft refusing to provide the server hardware muscle the game needed.  That combined with the revamp of the Direlands which increased the random mob density such that you could not possibly travel move more than 100 yards without getting attacked no matter how carefully you tried to split the difference between the farthest separated mobs pretty much ruined what was otherwise an explorer's dream game that has not been matched since.  Heartbreak

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Stormwaltz
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Reply #43 on: April 21, 2011, 07:20:54 AM

So, the way AC solved problems with having massive events was to not have massive events?   Ohhhhh, I see.

I'd define it more as recognizing that a "massive event" in an MMORPG should be something that the largest possible number of people can get involved with, rather than a one-time, one-place deal. You want to put on a war that affects a whole country, not a rock concert in one city (with the attendant traffic jams).

Nothing in this post represents the views of my current or previous employers.

"Isn't that just like an elf? Brings a spell to a gun fight."

"Sci-Fi writers don't invent the future, they market it."
- Henry Cobb
vonshuck
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Reply #44 on: April 21, 2011, 01:56:27 PM

All through beta I kept saying the strength of Rift was the soul system. I kept hearing PR about the dynamic real-time event system. Which I pretty much dismissed.

They kind of backed off on a lot of the promise of the soul system and really pushed the event system.

I am now laughing.

I do admit Trion is pretty good about manning up to their shortcomings on things like this and will work to improve things. Just not sure how much can realistically be done, and the more popular the game gets, the less realistic this kind of thing becomes. I just wish they'd put more time into polishing the soul system and improving roles. Ah, well.

A lot of good a polished soul system is with nothing to do in-game to use them on.  I applaud them for doing live events. It feels more like paper and pencil gaming and less stiff even if it failed. 
vonshuck
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Reply #45 on: April 22, 2011, 07:32:19 AM

I didn't get to play in the event, I had to get married instead.

Congrats Draegan! As a thirteen year veteran of marriage I say the best way to get your wife to con gray is use caution and a ten foot pole.

Ashamanchill
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Reply #46 on: April 29, 2011, 10:37:08 AM

I didn't get to play in the event, I had to get married instead.

Sorry it's late Draeg, but congratulations.

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