Will Zos ever merge servers?

Jade1986 · August 2017

Excuse my french, but *** NO! EU players had to play on NA based EU servers for over a year and it was just smurfing AWFUL. I do not want to connect to a backwater datacenter in Texas, one of the places with the worst net infrastructures in the US. Just NO!

FakeFox · August 2017

If I got to the NA server I have a ping of ~800. As far as I understand it merging the servers would mean that either EU or NA becomes the new server and the people who have played on the other one before will be screwed. I don't think that it would make sense nor that it is necessary. ESO is doing very well for a MMO.

I've seen merging consoles and PC here as well and I got no idea if it's technically possible but never the less think it would be a bad idea in therms of balancing. The PC and console versions are too different.

Bouldercleave · August 2017

Trashkan wrote: »

Not a trash thread the servers used to be much more populated. I can't really tell if it's the 5 guild system and too many guilds but it just seems like it's so much harder to find quality players who want to run anything. I can post for bg's in 4 out of 5 guilds total population around 1400 but total population online is usually around 150 tops between these guilds. Then I go play bg's with my bro and we run into the same people the same groups over and over again. I just want to do stuff and with the lack of people it's hard to find a group for anything.

Not everyone PvPs

Mondini · August 2017

No because they would lose 90% of their EU playerbase

MakoFore · August 2017

i think it would be good- make a bigger world - but there would be no point IF the game didnt provide more social activities. at the moment other players might as well be npcs - we need things to do socially, such as weekly events, duelling contests, gambling, racing, tournaments, zone voice chat - in certain areas such as taverns things like that will make the game boom again and then- if we do get one server- would really make it fun. I'm all for it- provided theres a reason for it- such as the features above- or to reduce lag

Magdalina · August 2017

Trashkan wrote: »

It was an honest question that I'm sure has been brought up and it wasn't directed at Zos to be honest I dont think the servers need merging at this point i was asking someone with a brain if the logistics of this are even feasable or if it's a pipe dream. You see I have been playing since 2014 and do not want to see this game go for a long time so I was simply asking if it is possible? Do you have an answer for that or no if not then go away.

It's not about logistics, it's about logic I'd say. The reason we have 2 servers isn't that we have too many or too few people for one, it's because they're physically located in different regions and able to provide better ping for people in these regions. "Merging" servers(assuming it's actually possible to transfer character data and whatnot) would mean that either NA or EU people would be stuck with awful pings. These people would most likely not stick around to fill your groups, they'd probably just leave the game for good. Also, depending on which server they'd decide to leave, you could've gotten the short end of the stick yourself

Would you take the few "extra" players that'd stick around over not having 100-200 more ping than you do now?;)

zaria · August 2017

MakoFore wrote: »

i think it would be good- make a bigger world - but there would be no point IF the game didnt provide more social activities. at the moment other players might as well be npcs - we need things to do socially, such as weekly events, duelling contests, gambling, racing, tournaments, zone voice chat - in certain areas such as taverns things like that will make the game boom again and then- if we do get one server- would really make it fun. I'm all for it- provided theres a reason for it- such as the features above- or to reduce lag

World is instanced anyway, you would not see more people.
You would get more people in cyrodil but they would still prefer to jam into one campaign so longer queues in weekends.
However you would get an significant drop in EU player base especially pvp who is more lag critical it would be an significant loss.
Idea is idiotic in a degree who make playable dwemer and vMA weapons in the crown store good ideas

starkerealm · August 2017

Slack wrote: »

If someone believes the steam numbers represent the total number of players (pc), or even the majority of it, then that certain person is either stupid or talking nonsense out of boredom

Or they misunderstand the data Steam provides.

tplink3r1 · August 2017

Do we know how many copies ESO sold on Steam and outside Steam?

Yarlenzey · August 2017

The only practical purpose for merging the two systems would be to force EU players to quit.

Huyen · August 2017

They will not as the ping will rise to unlimited heights in Cyrodiil.

IwakuraLain42 · August 2017

tplink3r1 wrote: »

Do we know how many copies ESO sold on Steam and outside Steam?

Last quote from ZOS a few months back was 10 Mio copies sold across all platforms. If you apply the same metric that ff14 has (squenix published actual data some time ago) then 10% of these play regularly. That would make it to 1 mio player across all platforms and regions, divide by 6 and adjust for some growth I would guestimate 200.000 regular players on each server.

zaria · August 2017

tplink3r1 wrote: »

Do we know how many copies ESO sold on Steam and outside Steam?

The site shows 1.1 million copies, total sales is 10 million pretty even on all platforms so around 3mil on pc.

And yes 9k is max players at once, number of players playing every days would obviously be more than twice as much, EU and US players has different peak hours for one and some play early other late. Its also an question how many of the 1 million uses the steam interface for launching eso, looks like most here does not.
Consoles might give better data as I assume the pattern is pretty simlar.

Drazkyth · August 2017

I certainly hope not.

essi2 · August 2017

MMOs only merge servers if they are losing money.

GnarlyMcGnasty · August 2017

It hasn't happened often, but I've actually been put in the login queue a few times over the past month or so.

Also, OP, unless one, or both, of the megaservers numbers are atrociously low, then there won't be a merger.

On another note, I don't think the OP actually thinks there will be a server merge. It's maintenance time and he had a wild thought, and decided to post it to see what others thought about the subject.

Mondini · August 2017

essi2 wrote: »

MMOs only merge servers if they are losing money.

They already downsized and "merged" with 1 tamriel.

Bonzodog01 · August 2017

Steam, according to ZOS, accounts for roughly 10% of the games population. So if the low figures are 9K, that means 90K were actually playing at that point. And anyway, 9K is still a VERY healthy population.

I play STO when I'm not in this, and that on the XBox is at 1000 players worldwide at peak, and still classed healthy enough to develop brand new content for it.

Chackan · August 2017

TheMaster wrote: »

They should merge the PC/Console servers. I want my Crescent Staff back.

Second this.

Would love to be able to play with my brother (I'm on PS4 and he is on PC).

Universe · August 2017

They won't do that, not even if the population will go way below of what you imagine.
Also, there is the matter of unique to server, like crown store purchases, character names, items etc., it can't be done unless revamping the entire system.

lordrichter wrote: »

No.

The population would have to drop precipitously, far below anything that people have discussed here in the forum this week.

Latency would be horrible for anyone in EU, if the server were in NA.

They would probably just scale back the server hardware to match usage, up to the point where they close the game.

This.

reiverx · August 2017

If you factor in the operational costs of running the company, then I'd put the active playerbase at several hundred thousand. Given that income is from crown sales and subs, I can't see how they'd survive otherwise.

gard · August 2017

Sinkas wrote: »

Can we stop with these trash threads? Game is nowhere near dead, actually it's on its peak.

29k's were on Free Weekend.

EDIT: THIS IS ONLY STEAM

Lets say we agree that the number posted by someone above (saying steam is 10% of sales) is correct.
Isn't a 150k 24 hour peak still pretty dismal by MMO standards?

Right now on twitch ESO has around 350 viewers. In comparison, WoW (which sucks in comparison to ESO) has 15,000.
Is it reasonable to assume the number viewing corresponds to the number playing? I'm not sure.

None of this probably matters as long as ZOS is making money. Maybe ESO players spend more money on a per account basis.

DMuehlhausen · August 2017

Trashkan wrote: »

Not a trash thread the servers used to be much more populated. I can't really tell if it's the 5 guild system and too many guilds but it just seems like it's so much harder to find quality players who want to run anything. I can post for bg's in 4 out of 5 guilds total population around 1400 but total population online is usually around 150 tops between these guilds. Then I go play bg's with my bro and we run into the same people the same groups over and over again. I just want to do stuff and with the lack of people it's hard to find a group for anything.

The problem isn't population. The problem is nobody is willing to help people learn.

MMOs are about community and helping each other, or use to be. That hasn't been the way of things for at least 7 years now and it's an issue. The best and most beloved MMOs all have great communities. This happens when early content and other content requires grouping. You meet people, learn to work other people. Now though you don't have to group or even talk to anybody until you want to start doing the harder "end game" stuff. Now nobody knows how to work with each other. There is 0 patience and instead of helping everyone just leaves then acts like nobody is around to play with.

So instead of calling everyone an effing noob and you you build sucks and kicking them in dungeons...why not work with them and help people. Yes they will come back with Play the way you want. That is true, you can in this game when your solo, but not in a group. They need to be taught that and just kicking them before their screen loads cause they aren't in full gold gear and the perfect race/class mix give them a shot and work with them. It's not like you lose xp/levels for deaths like you use to in Everquest. It's some gold...OMG no not some gold that you can easily replace in 20 minutes of killing mobs.

Loc2262 · August 2017

zaria wrote: »

The 9K is for player playing trough steam only or 1/3-1/4 or pc population. And its max number of players at once. Active players is far higher.

I fall into that statistical category I suppose. I bought the game through Steam, but I run the game exe directly and independent from Steam or launcher. So Steam doesn't count my playtime.

RIGHTEOUS_REPORT · August 2017

ZM will do this in the future its obvious. They have already cut the servers down many times they are cheap skates the lot of them.

Also that 999+ ping spike is a joke, its the main reason I don't play anymore.

Its impossible to play when all sprites are in suspended animation.

So yeah the servers are *** already.