We are currently investigating issues some players are having logging into the European PC/Mac megaserver. We will update as new information becomes available.

Why can't ZOS simply throw more servers to the cluster to handle the load?

ESOUser0x00
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I'm not familiar with MMORPG tech but for cloud to scale up, you simply throw more machine resources. :/
  • Seraphayel
    Seraphayel
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    Their mega servers are just really bad.
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  • Hand_Bacon
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    Every time their servers crash, a sorc pet gets their wings.
    #AlmostGood@ESO
  • ZiRM
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    The MEGAservers are gonna handle it!!
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    Want to become Vampire? 5k @ZiRM in game.
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  • Riggsy
    Riggsy
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    I read somewhere on here that the super-server is something like 16 servers linked together in Texas. ZOS says the lag is caused by more stuff occurring at once (computing proc sets with abilities and mitigation, etc.) but has never addressed the hardware side of things. I doubt they have upgraded/added to their servers since launch and instead they waste money on silly contests. That "million" they gave away to a guy who probably no longer plays couldve been invested in servers (50k a year could've added several servers), instead their marketing folks thought otherwise.
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  • Turelus
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    ZOS has more money than CCP Games.

    Zos can afford to get systems like this https://community.eveonline.com/news/dev-blogs/tranquility-tech-3/
    @Turelus - EU PC Megaserver
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  • PathwayM
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    I'm not familiar with MMORPG tech but for cloud to scale up, you simply throw more machine resources. :/

    Because depending on the architecture, if there is a single point of failure like a master server that manages all established connections then the whole cluster goes down regardless of how many machines are added. Because their megaserver is ultimately a cluster anyway there needs to be some kind of master server managing the rest. So... yeah...

    Granted the masters themselves might be redundant, but my point was more aiming at whatever their single point of failure might be.
    Edited by PathwayM on February 10, 2017 11:39PM
  • Xundiin
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    Adding new servers don't do much if your IT crew can't optimize them. I think has less to do with the hardware and more to do with optimization.
    #SavePlayer1
  • teejaycrunk
    in theory yes, but why? they are making money hand over fist on a game that has been amazing, yet broken since launch. we still have day one bugs on the game and homestead brought in a whole bunch of new ones, but hey, they made a ton of money with the launch of homestead. maybe they would do something like upgrade the servers or fix bugs before the launch of morrowind (sorry to say but i won't get my hopes up) or they can focus on banning people and finding more ways to get money out of the game before its completely broken.
  • Koolio
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    What if the building is already full. Then you would have to get estimates for an addition to the warehouse. That could takes months/years depending on building codes weather delays budget. Not likely that is the case but food for thought.
  • PathwayM
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    Riggsy wrote: »
    I read somewhere on here that the super-server is something like 16 servers linked together in Texas. ZOS says the lag is caused by more stuff occurring at once (computing proc sets with abilities and mitigation, etc.) but has never addressed the hardware side of things. I doubt they have upgraded/added to their servers since launch and instead they waste money on silly contests. That "million" they gave away to a guy who probably no longer plays couldve been invested in servers (50k a year could've added several servers), instead their marketing folks thought otherwise.

    You'd be surprised how easily $1 million disappears when buying enterprise grade servers.
  • Idinuse
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    Nothing wrong with the Zos server it seems:
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  • raglau
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    I'm not familiar with MMORPG tech but for cloud to scale up, you simply throw more machine resources. :/

    Not quite that simple. There are two approaches to scaling IT services:

    Scale up - i.e. add more resource too each node, such as more CPUs, more RAM, faster hard drives, more NICs etc
    Scale out - i.e. add more nodes to the cluster/load-balanced array

    Most services use a combination of the approaches but crucially, each has laws of diminishing returns depending on the software architecture. Some services, say Exchange Server, Active Directory and SQL Server, scale out excellently, in some cases hundreds of nodes can be uniformly load balanced automatically. Other services, e.g. vanilla LDAP directories, scale out badly and should be scaled up, but you then reach physical limitations of the host, e.g. perhaps it can only hold 32 CPUs or something. Some hardware architectures scale up better - NUMA for example - but the hosted service must run NUMA aware code (such as Exchange or SQL) or that service will fail to scale with it, in fact it may perform worse the more CPUs you add.

    Now, we don't know how ZOS have done this but let's be honest, they're not really on the ball in terms of modernity of their code, so we can easily envisage a case where they're in a corner due to weak architecture decisions early in development and therefore cannot easily take advantage of hardware scalability.


    Edited by raglau on February 11, 2017 12:28AM
  • Mattock_Romulus
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    The choice was between paying for a Superbowl ad to bring in more players or upgrade the servers...The ad won.
    Edited by Mattock_Romulus on February 11, 2017 1:02AM
  • Palidon
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    Players have been complaining about poor game performance for some time. ZOS has the money to put out for a Super Bowl Commercial but seems it is not important enough to upgrade there current servers. Game crashing is getting more and more frequent like this current one on 2/10/17.
  • WalkingLegacy
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    Koolio wrote: »
    What if the building is already full. Then you would have to get estimates for an addition to the warehouse. That could takes months/years depending on building codes weather delays budget. Not likely that is the case but food for thought.

    That's not how the cloud works my friend.

    On demand Scalability is the perk of things such as AWS.
  • Banana
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    Might have found the issue
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  • MLGProPlayer
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    Because that would require an investment of capital and Zenimax ain't about that life.
  • Ghostbane
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    I recall there being a hardware maintenance last year.
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  • Tabbycat
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    They would buy more servers but they cost too much in the Crown store.
    Founder and Co-GM of The Psijic Order Guild (NA)
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  • t3hdubzy
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    Its about game design, no amount of extra servers is going to solve this problem because the way the game was designed, the calculations, and the amount of players interacting at one time unless you are suggesting that everyone gets their own personal sever like the days of ultima online where everyone had their turnkey.
  • Banana
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    t3hdubzy wrote: »
    Its about game design, no amount of extra servers is going to solve this problem because the way the game was designed, the calculations, and the amount of players interacting at one time unless you are suggesting that everyone gets their own personal sever like the days of ultima online where everyone had their turnkey.

    Im pretty sure if the server wasnt on the other side of the earth my ping would improve
  • Betheny
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    They're still trying to figure out how to put chances for server access in the Crown Crates.
  • akl77
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    Get rid of proc sets, problem solved. Learn to play with real skills, dodge, block, parry, attack with position and timing.
    Pc na
  • t3hdubzy
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    Banana wrote: »
    t3hdubzy wrote: »
    Its about game design, no amount of extra servers is going to solve this problem because the way the game was designed, the calculations, and the amount of players interacting at one time unless you are suggesting that everyone gets their own personal sever like the days of ultima online where everyone had their turnkey.

    Im pretty sure if the server wasnt on the other side of the earth my ping would improve

    That would help you, not the game.
  • Balamoor
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    t3hdubzy wrote: »
    Its about game design, no amount of extra servers is going to solve this problem because the way the game was designed, the calculations, and the amount of players interacting at one time unless you are suggesting that everyone gets their own personal sever like the days of ultima online where everyone had their turnkey.

    This is unmitigated horse crap. the lag is due to a combination of network transport latency and server processing lag not game design. What needs to be addressed are sever and network load balancing and it isn't as easy as it sounds, I know because before I retired I was a Consulting Engineer contracted to Digital Reality. We provided server systems for many online games.

    Also if these Data centers are anywhere near North Dallas there is a very good chance they are on Century link which has the single worst infrastructure in the country, also those data centers won't be changing anytime soon, so the best we can hope for is a new contract with new data centers which brings its own stabbing your eye out with a fork issues.

    If you people are going to ***, *** about the right things not something as idiotic as bad design.

    Edited by Balamoor on February 11, 2017 12:56AM
  • altemriel
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    I'm not familiar with MMORPG tech but for cloud to scale up, you simply throw more machine resources. :/



    we need more serverpower!!!
  • Grim13
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    I wonder who ZOS calls when they have a tech issue!?
  • Grim13
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  • arena25
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    Grim13 wrote: »
    8LNW0.gif

    You know what, I think I found the problem!

    Who let the bulls run loose in the server room again?
    If you can't handle the heat...stay out of the kitchen!
  • karldavy149b16_ESO
    karldavy149b16_ESO
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    Riggsy wrote: »
    I read somewhere on here that the super-server is something like 16 servers linked together in Texas. ZOS says the lag is caused by more stuff occurring at once (computing proc sets with abilities and mitigation, etc.) but has never addressed the hardware side of things. I doubt they have upgraded/added to their servers since launch and instead they waste money on silly contests. That "million" they gave away to a guy who probably no longer plays couldve been invested in servers (50k a year could've added several servers), instead their marketing folks thought otherwise.

    actually they downgraded the server tech shortly after 1.1 pre 1.1 ping was 45 after 100+ hell when i played on the eu (na hosted) server at launch my ping was hela low
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