Risk of Unbalanced Servers?

HeatLegend · 2012-07-18, 09:42 PM

Hey, was showing the game to a friend of mine and he brought something up that I hadn't given much thought. The conversation went sort of like this:

Him: "Well the servers are definitely going to get really unbalanced"

Me: "That's the fun of it though, even if you're on the smaller team it adds so much to the experience; being the oppressed team fighting a hopeless war"

Him: "Yeah but is it going to be fun in the long run? If you're outnumbered ten to one?"

Hadnt thought of the possibility of it becoming anywhere near that unbalanced, I still dont think it will but obviously all servers will have their dominating side.

Anyone thinks this is a possibility? Do the devs have a good way of keeping them more or less balanced, or is that too hard to really control? Maybe some PS1 vets know what it was like back then? Or should we simply wait and see after the game launches?

Sledgecrushr · 2012-07-18, 09:43 PM

Oh yeah its definitely a possibility. I am for server transfers done in an elegant way but I happen to be in the minority on that.

HeatLegend · 2012-07-18, 09:46 PM

Originally Posted by Sledgecrushr

Oh yeah its definitely a possibility. I am for server transfers done in an elegant way but I happen to be in the minority on that.

Server transfer could both profit and backfire on this as far as I know... A server gets more and more unbalanced- people of the smaller factions leave the server and it just turns more unbalanced- Or: People will want a challenge and go to more challenging servers resulting in greater balance.

Klockan · 2012-07-18, 09:47 PM

Game will most likely be the most unbalanced at off hours, but I think that these battles might be some of the most fun you have ever had as well. At primetime the server limits should balance things out. Also if you play at a server that is especially unbalanced it is no problem, just abandon one of the continents and focus your manpower on the other two. Since the player limit is per continent you just effectively upped your own playercount by 50% while the enemies can't bring in more. At worst you can abandon two continents and that will likely fix any faction balance problems that will ever appear.

Sledgecrushr · 2012-07-18, 09:50 PM

Originally Posted by HeatLegend

Server transfer could both profit and backfire on this as far as I know... A server gets more and more unbalanced- people of the smaller factions leave the server and it just turns more unbalanced- Or: People will want a challenge and go to more challenging servers resulting in greater balance.

A cople of things really, firstly you can transfer if you like to a server that is about full for awesome in your face fight fest.
You could transfer to a server that is half full and have some space and time to practice and or engage in smaller fights.
You could transfer to a server that needs your help because they are outnumbered and need your help.
Everyone in your chapter and its alliance could transfer to go raiding another server.
So many options to play. And to keep it honest every day you log on you will always be on your home server where certainly a good fight is happening.

HeatLegend · 2012-07-18, 09:51 PM

Originally Posted by Klockan

just abandon one of the continents and focus your manpower on the other two. Since the player limit is per continent you just effectively upped your own playercount by 50% while the enemies can't bring in more. At worst you can abandon two continents and that will likely fix any faction balance problems that will ever appear.

Hm, does the continent balance go 2000 players in total or 666ish/team cap?
I thought it was restricted so that no team could have more than a third of 2000 at a continent at once, but maybe it's not team-restricted but counted in total players overall...

Klockan · 2012-07-18, 09:57 PM

Originally Posted by HeatLegend

Hm, does the continent balance go 2000 players in total or 666ish/team cap?
I thought it was restricted so that no team could have more than a third of 2000 at a continent at once, but maybe it's not team-restricted but counted in total players overall...

Yup, which is why it works to withdraw from a continent. Lets say VS and NC got 1000 on a server each while TR got 2000, that means that TR can beat back VS and NC alone. However if VS and NC abandons a continent they suddenly got 500 per continent each against the 666 of TR which is basically fair, while the 666 that is left on the abandoned continent will have to log out and play elsewhere. Thus the players themselves got a strong tool to balance unbalanced servers and the dominating side would probably see people flee from that server since they would face too much queuing.

DManTech · 2012-07-18, 10:02 PM

This was a concern in PS1 as well, and by and large it didn't turn out to be much of an issue.

For one thing, PS1 included incentives to the outnumbered empires--primarily increased experience points. This worked to encourage players to choose the smaller factions.

The second mitigation is described above by the other posters. If your faction is outnumbered, you'll tend to pull out of frontline bases and potentially entire continents, focusing your manpower on the one spot where you stand the most chance of turning the tide. And speaking from experience, those battles where you only hold a few facilities and the attackers outnumber you 2-1 were some of the most fun gameplay experiences in PS1.

In short, I wouldn't worry about it until it's actually an issue, because I don't think it will be.

wOOtbEEr · 2012-07-18, 10:16 PM

I think there should be a cross-server mission system that helps take care of this. You always have your home server. But if it's primetime on your home server and your empire outnumbers the other two by at least 10% then players on that server could get missions to go reinforce servers where your empire has less population. Would be cool if it gave the missions to outfits first for the option to represent your server on an "away game".

Of course as much as i love this idea the 3 faction system balances it out quite nicely. If you are the biggest you will almost always be fighting 2 empires at once. And you probably aren't twice as big.

Rivenshield · 2012-07-18, 10:16 PM

Your friend is wrong, OP. When you're outnumbered ten to one you simply pick a smaller place to defend and make sure you've got an advanced medic with you. Like the gen room. Gen rooms are nice.

Death2All · 2012-07-18, 10:21 PM

It's a non issue. This game just has a way of balancing itself out when it comes to empires. They're split very evenly. People are always holding polls in regards to which faction people will play and it's always a very close 33/33/33 poll in most cases.

Accuser · 2012-07-18, 10:22 PM

Empire population incentives by continent. The lower the population, the more powerful you are, the more resources you gain per sector, and the more exp you get from actions.
/thread

Soothsayer · 2012-07-18, 10:24 PM

Originally Posted by Rivenshield

Your friend is wrong, OP. When you're outnumbered ten to one you simply pick a smaller place to defend and make sure you've got an advanced medic with you.

That's really great to say and everything, but I think that a comprehensive penalty/reward system that facilitates underpopulated empires regaining healthy and competitive populations would be more useful.

Maybe SOE should commit to heading off the problem by offering discounts in the station store for purchases made by the underpopulated empire.

Experience incentives are only a short term solution. What is needed is something to attract players to a server that is ailing.

If a faction is chronically under-represented there needs to be a look at what is going on that makes people either not choose their empire or to leave it after choosing. This could be as simple as outlining core gameplay faction philosophies as opposed to advertising based on the faction's political (and largely irrelevant) policies.

SUBARU · 2012-07-18, 10:33 PM

Just because your out numbered, doesnt mean you are toast.It just means you as an empire have to play smarter.

HeatLegend · 2012-07-18, 10:35 PM

Originally Posted by Death2All

It's a non issue. This game just has a way of balancing itself out when it comes to empires. They're split very evenly. People are always holding polls in regards to which faction people will play and it's always a very close 33/33/33 poll in most cases.

Yeah, but that doesnt mean that each server is 33/33/33 or close to it, but it's definitely a good sign anyway.

Thanks for all the replies guys, I'll have something to tell/explain to him the next time we meet

EDIT: Please continue the discussion if there is more to add