ZOS we need to talk. Server Maintenance.

Sikon

Hi, like the thread says and it is also often discussed. Server Maintenance is really not good in ESO.

I mean, thank you that you are working on the game and trying to fix bugs/errors which come up with alot of updates.

But like this week (March 8th-14th 2024) you do again 2 Server Maintenances in 1 Week at a "daily time" for several hours.

Why you shut down the server at 12 pm CEST? You have alot of europeans playing at this time.
Please your game is running since 10years now, also happy anniversary again and you are holding a good business with the crown store and game subs.

Finally try to manage Maintenances in the "night times" when most people are sleeping. Yes, that means your employees need to work at night sometimes, but other MMOs do the same and it works. ESO has such a huge playerbase right now and you are improving the game on and on. Just try to do Server Maintenances when the huge amount of your playerbase is not playing.

Don't forget that your players pay for the playtime to acutally "play" the game. Not to wait for Server Maintenances.

Bethgael

Maintenance always starts at 6-8pmish for Australians (who don't live in a daylight savings zone). So... yeah.

We get used to it.

ADarklore

Sikon wrote: »

Hi, like the thread says and it is also often discussed. Server Maintenance is really not good in ESO.

I mean, thank you that you are working on the game and trying to fix bugs/errors which come up with alot of updates.

But like this week (March 8th-14th 2024) you do again 2 Server Maintenances in 1 Week at a "daily time" for several hours.

Why you shut down the server at 12 pm CEST? You have alot of europeans playing at this time.
Please your game is running since 10years now, also happy anniversary again and you are holding a good business with the crown store and game subs.

Finally try to manage Maintenances in the "night times" when most people are sleeping. Yes, that means your employees need to work at night sometimes, but other MMOs do the same and it works. ESO has such a huge playerbase right now and you are improving the game on and on. Just try to do Server Maintenances when the huge amount of your playerbase is not playing.

Don't forget that your players pay for the playtime to acutally "play" the game. Not to wait for Server Maintenances.

"Night Times" are different around the world. What's 'night time' here in the U.S. is not 'night time' in Europe, or elsewhere. I think ZOS tried to pick times that were best overall across the world. Further, people complain about problems, then complain when ZOS actually fixes them, they can't win. It's my day off, but am I complaining because ZOS is actually trying to fix a problem, no, even if it is inconvenient for me.

vsrs_au

Bethgael wrote: »

Maintenance always starts at 6-8pmish for Australians (who don't live in a daylight savings zone). So... yeah.

We get used to it.

Yes, I can relate to that.

Also, for the nth time (since this is the nth thread on this topic): it's a global game, with customers in every time zone, so someone will always be inconvenienced by maintenance.

Drammanoth

Here it's noon. As it will take ZOS some time, I will utilise the downtime to do what... cook some food, go shopping, read some books, prepare for work.

With MMORPGs, one has to think globally.

ADarklore wrote: »

(...) people complain about problems, then complain when ZOS actually fixes them,(...)

Spot on.

Adjust, be flexible. Have a life offline so that the downtime does not bother you.

gusthermopyle

vsrs_au wrote: »

Also, for the nth time (since this is the nth thread on this topic): it's a global game, with customers in every time zone, so someone will always be inconvenienced by maintenance.

Yes, but we have 2 servers. Europe spans around 4 hours (I think) of timezones, so if maintenance started later (after 12am) then it would definitely impact less.

Maintenance times always seem to be the same for both servers. EDT is 6am-9am for today, which is a much more preferable option than 10am-1pm for EU,

Sikon

Well, if my company would have such patient, satisfied customers like you I would be happy. Thank you for your replies.

Maybe I am a more difficult customer then.
I pay for a product (in this case playtime) and I want to use it at any time I can/be able to play. This will be difficult everytime, but that's why most MMOs decide to do Maintenances in "night times" where most people need to sleep.

Also big companys do not do server shutdowns at "work time"... you know what I mean. It has nothing to do with an unflexible life beneath my gaming.

I just ask, why a big company like ZOS and MMO like ESO, is not able to seperate downtimes for US and EU and also to set the maintenances in "nights" (times where most players are not "online").

I tell you, it is by far not normal to have 2 Downtimes in a Week without any alerts before. In my company there would be alot of complains.

But maybe I am just a difficult customer. If I pay for something I want it to work properly and have access to it.

@Drammanoth yea I have a free day and jumping on my bike now, because I also have another life..

I just complained about the way ZOS is doing maintenances. In real Job Business, this would make much more trouble believe me.
But we are only here to "play a fun game" in our freetime as private persons.. so ok accept, that it's not working, I get your point.

Jaraal

It would be nice if there wasn't server maintenance to fix the previous server maintenance, which seems to be more and more common as time goes on.

I'm curious what new bugs will be introduced by the fix to the bugs that were released by the first bug fix. I guess we shall find out shortly.

Sikon

That's an additional point Jaraal, new updates bringing new bugs is also a speciality in ESO. Of course you have bugs and of course you need to fix them.

But ask yourself, when is the phase to fix them in a "customer friendly" time?

Tbh. if I would have a company and a "software"/"product" would work like ESO.. I would count the amounts of downtime hours/month- so the time where I had no access to the product and I would charge back my money for it and not pay the full price.

Sorry, that I am a not friendly/easy customer...

h9dlb

They should use some of the $2 billion they made off us

Sikon

They have enough money to do maintenances in "night times", ofc the employee cost is increasing at night, but even smaller MMOs invest in that work for "Maintenances".

ZOS is not doing it since 10 years... It would be great if they overthink their investments in this case and adapt to a majority of games for server down times.

That's all I want to ask for.

NoTrust

" I really didn't need to reply to this... "

However, I'm retired and extra time means very little (to me personally) - I know it means a great deal to others, like the original poster of this thread.

In many ways I do agree, we who are ESO+ ( in one sense ) are paying for the staff, the servers and the software - so ofc ppl who pay for things expect a certain level of privileges. This is only "my" opinion ofc.

Okay, nuff said.

Em

O_LYKOS

I would be great if they worked around those who play at those times. But hey, you're not the only country playing. They could alter the schedule to suit you and it'd just affect someone else somewhere else in the world. And at this time in the day, you'd think most people in the UK and EU countries are working so it actually makes sense for it to be done at this time, for us.
But hey, it's just another unhappy with maintenance post because it doesnt suit YOU.

WaywardArgonian

Noon at CEST during a weekday is not a busy time on EU. I'm sure ZOS knows this through their data and planned the maintenance during this time for it to be the least intrusive.

To demand that employees work graveyard shifts just so you are not slightly inconvenienced sounds a bit entitled. You'll still have plenty of time to farm event boxes.

It also doesn't matter if other MMOs do it. Maybe those companies have a different structure or they just treat their employees like crap, who's to know really.

Elsonso

gusthermopyle wrote: »

vsrs_au wrote: »

Also, for the nth time (since this is the nth thread on this topic): it's a global game, with customers in every time zone, so someone will always be inconvenienced by maintenance.

Yes, but we have 2 servers. Europe spans around 4 hours (I think) of timezones, so if maintenance started later (after 12am) then it would definitely impact less.

Maintenance times always seem to be the same for both servers. EDT is 6am-9am for today, which is a much more preferable option than 10am-1pm for EU,

The servers are apparently not completely independent. When they did EU maintenance at a different time from NA, there were problems. Seems to me that they fixed that by doing the platform maintenance at the same time for both megaservers.

The megaservers have global populations and there is no restriction on where a player must be in order to use one of the megaservers. We are free to use the one we want. That means that assigning time zones to the server will be problematic for anyone outside of those time zones. It is already annoying that reset times are different between NA and EU, but it is what it is.

The best time to do maintenance is when the people doing the maintenance can do it, as they are the most important people in the whole maintenance process. Early morning US Eastern Time is not an unreasonable time to start, and while the day may get long, the maintenance can usually be completed in time for them go to home and sleep in their bed.

On-site server maintenance needs to be when the people local to the server can be there. That might involve a diverse group of people, depending on why there is maintenance.

Lugaldu

I think maintenance between 12-3pm is the best time for European players. At the very least, you should expect that most people are still at work/school at this time...

sarahthes

It is better to let the crashing and 15 minute rollbacks occur for longer, of course, just so you can play, of course. Although it would be a pity if you got an aetheric cipher and lost it due to a rollback before the bug could be fixed.

I know for me, I'm just glad the problem is being addressed so quickly rather than having to wait 2 weeks for the next scheduled maintenance.

Photosniper89

Jaraal wrote: »

It would be nice if there wasn't server maintenance to fix the previous server maintenance, which seems to be more and more common as time goes on.

I'm curious what new bugs will be introduced by the fix to the bugs that were released by the first bug fix. I guess we shall find out shortly.

This is the way.

SaffronCitrusflower

Jaraal wrote: »

It would be nice if there wasn't server maintenance to fix the previous server maintenance, which seems to be more and more common as time goes on.

I'm curious what new bugs will be introduced by the fix to the bugs that were released by the first bug fix. I guess we shall find out shortly.

Nobody can blame us for questioning the competency and quality control at ZOS when these situations have become the norm rather than the exception.

With that said, it is good that they did appear to fix the disconnecting and rollback problems, at least it appears so thus far.

valenwood_vegan

The topic I would want to talk about is quality control, rather than the timing of server maintenance. As a lack of one causes more and more of the other.

Maitsukas

Just going to leave this here:
https://account.elderscrollsonline.com/en-us/terms-of-service#_EN_Toc_06