Server capacity, dynamic or static

Ranger209

Does anyone know if there is a fixed amount of server capacity for Cyrodiil, or if it is adjusted dynamically based on population? We know in PvE zones additional instances can be spun up if certain population thresholds are reached, and that there are dynamic elements to those zones. The reason I ask is because if it is somehow dynamic in Cyrodiil does it reduce capacity every time the cap is reduced? This could counterintuitively make things actually worse every time they reduce the population cap. Perhaps by reducing the cap they have reduced the capacity to the point that any time there is a 50 v 50 it will become a lag fest. Grasping at straws here, but straws are all that is left.

EdmondDontes

Server capacity is only adjusted during maintenance. But it does change. More players entering or leaving a zone will not cause a dynamic shift to more or less capacity.

Elsonso

Ranger209 wrote: »

Does anyone know if there is a fixed amount of server capacity for Cyrodiil, or if it is adjusted dynamically based on population?

I would guess the capacity can be considered to be fixed, since each Campaign is likely to be a single physical server within the megaserver.

I am sure that they adjust the population cap to match what the server is able to handle, but that is probably a decision, not something that happens dynamically.


Edit: Just want to add that the best guess for the Cyrodiil performance problems are that it is SOFTWARE based (the Engine) and not HARDWARE based (slow computers).

MiserynCompany

One thing I know is this... during midyear mayhem... when cyro is full and there is a qeue.. you enter the delves for a delve buff, but get the message that the instance is full repeatedly when trying to exit back into cyrodiil from the delve presumably because you entering the cave allowed someone to jump in from q.
This also would happen on the weekend in cheesemonger hollow if you had to go cleanse debuffs with shoegarth and there was a longer queue.. when you go to exit, you get instance is full message repeatedly. Just keep trying til it let you free. Idk if that helps.

Crown

NOTE: This is based on discussions with dev folks a long time ago, and what we've witnessed over the years.

Each campaign's capacity is fixed at X to reach 2 bar, Y to reach 3 bar, and Z to reach pop lock.

Once a campaign reaches Z players (pop lock) for a faction, the queue starts and allows new players on that faction in based on a time period. That period SEEMS to have changed slightly through the years, though in times of heavy pop/play (like Friday/Saturday evenings) tends to be about 1 player per minute (60 players per hour).

This is likely why populations at lock aren't necessarily the same, and performance is significantly worse as evenings progress and more players get past the lock.

Kwoung

EdmondDontes wrote: »

Server capacity is only adjusted during maintenance. But it does change. More players entering or leaving a zone will not cause a dynamic shift to more or less capacity.

Yes, it has been continually lowered over the years, probably to both combat the lag and to give the impression there are a lot of folks playing. But pop-lock now seems to be somewhere around 100 players, and it used to be 3-4x that.

Lebkuchen

Did anyone find an answer to this? Feels like Cyrodiil is empty, even with 3x3 bars.

ProudMary

Static. And the population caps per faction are lower than they've ever been in the history of the game. If you PvP regularly you notice pretty quickly you're now always fighting the same groups of players over and over nearly all the time now.

Aerenthir

As people said already, static and unfortunately due to the structure of their code, and their obsolete server, the cap has been lowered to an immensely low numbers.

Few years ago you could've seen sieges with hundreds of people per faction taking participation. Now it's in the 30s at best and everything else is empty while this is happening.

And even in this case, nothing is actually working, there are constant freezes and crashes. Hopefully the new servers should make a difference.

Lebkuchen

So how is it now with the new servers and the pvp events? Felt like they increased the cap during the event. At least on Playstation EU.