We didn’t even need to have layers, all we needed were:
Server Clusters, and
Daily Playtime Limits.
SERVER CLUSTERS:
Let’s say their plan was to have the following servers at the end of the rush period: Gehennas, Shazzrah and Golemagg.
Instead of releasing them with layers, you simply create the following:
Gehennas 1, Gehennas 2, Gehennas 3, Gehennas 4, Gehennas 5, … Shazzrah 1, Shazzrah 2, … Golemag 1, Golemag 2… etc.
Essentially, Gehennas 1-5 would be within the Gehennas cluster, etc. Character and guild names would be cluster specific (meaning if I create Thorniel on Gehennas 3, no one else can use this name on any other Gehennas).
The purpose of these clusters is that they will eventually merge into singular servers, meaning Gehennas 1-5 will all merge into Gehennas. This does not have to happen at once - they can periodically merge sub-clusters one into another.
DAILY PLAYTIME LIMITS:
Quite simple: each account has a limited number of hours they are allowed to be logged in on a daily basis. This could be any number, depending on the size of the queues. It would change over time and disappear altogether when the time comes. Anything between 6 and 10 hours would be perfect. That way people would not want to abuse anti-afk methods, which would drop the queue times drastically.
Pros of this approach:
no need to worry about the shock that layer removal will inevitably cause
the queues would be tens of times shorter
Cons of this approach:
people with extremely unhealthy lifestyles would be angry
streamers would be angry
In my opinions, the cons are completely negligible. Reasonable players would benefit greatly, there would most likely be no queues in 2nd week. On the other hand, the types of players that would be angered by this are the same types that are mostly not good for the gaming community anyway.
These server clusers look awfully similar to layers. I agree it would take out some of the minor issues with layering, while creating other minor issues. It’s a 6/10 idea.
The daily playtime limit though sounds horrible.
So lets say my friend start on shazz on day 1, hes shazz 1 rn, i join him 3 day after im shazz 3… How do we join? Its either realy bad cuz u have same thing as merging regular servers( only names etc are there only once) or u can swao from 1 to 3 and its same as layering
To the secind option, people pay to play when they want and how much they want, now lets say u would cap that to how many? Lets say 5 hours? And some like me, i dont have time to play daily, so i dont olay for 3 days then i wanna catch up when i can, but i actualy cant because i have 5hours cap… Also can u imagine those progresing guilds? Wf took about 3.5h to guild that did it over and over for years, u go first time to mc with your guild to progres and half raid u are being kicked cuz u spent 5h there and your limit is over
Good try, but those ideas are bad, they got so much flaws
I’d be fine with it. My playtime is being limited by 3 hour queues anyway, at least this would let me choose when to play.
Though I imagine most other players would hate it.
I belive the idea is, you can chose the “cluster” or “channel” every time you login.
So if 1 person starts on C3, and other on C7. They can both login to C1 once its not full anymore. It’s as if you could chose a layer you want to play on and stay on it until you relogin
Yea this could work, but, those clusters, how do they work? Since if it isnt like layering, which is basicly a server in server, it has to be something else, lets say maybe a different server? Which has just same database with another server ( shazz 1 and shazz 2 etc). This basicly means that blizz will need more servers, which would, teoreticly, provide you instat char transfer as u choose cluster, so, again teoreticly, all they could do is just offer free transfer now from server X to server Y and make it so that your name and guild name is unique to classic, no to server (i know too late for that) and the result will be the same, and none of this would happen, cuz it is forcing merges, and also they would have to soend more money on their “free game that only few gona play so whatever”
I would imagine it would work like it did in older mmos like Cabal online or mu online,
You chose a server, a list of channels opens, let’s say 15 of them each with a population counter, once one is full it locks until somebody logs out, and you pick another chanell that is not full for the time being.
Your character, AH and let’s say battlegrounds are shared between the channels. Every channel is its own instance with players, mobs and resources.
You can change channels at will anytime.
So basicly a cross realm classic, also a bad idea but i get your point, still, while im mad at blizz cuz of those wies, thers probably not much they can do about them that wouldnt cause just more problems in future
Nah crossrealm mashes together different realms, channels would all collectively make just one realm with one economy and progression. Also crossrealm seems to work randomly making it a mess, with channels you choose a “layer” and it doesn’t force you to leave it/join another unless you intentialy do it yourself, you can also ask friends to play on let’s say C5 so you alweys play together, it’s not perfect solution but it worked for ages now in other mmos
imo this is very bad. Black Desert is like that. There is no feeling of community and never will with this system. i played there 1.5 year and i haven’t met a single person with this system and my real life friends that played with this system felt the same.
but i get your point, still, while im mad at blizz cuz of those wies, thers probably not much they can do about them that wouldnt cause just more problems in future