New world solution: Path of Exile

[aemaru08]

This idea aims to find a way to solve the desire of both a permanent server and server wipes. Also, decaying clearing and resources renovation.
I would like to give a better explanation, but since english isn't my mother language, i'll give a simple description:

-Two servers, "Static", and "Seasonal". Static never resets, Seasonal does, ever X months (to be defined by devs)
-Updates are implemented first in Seasonal server, where they are tested, fixed, and maybe removed if they suck.
-Every time Seasonal server resets, the tested and improved updates are included in Static server, and the new ones what devs have been working on since last reset, comes to the new Season.
-World maps will have several continents, divided by big seas.
-When season is over and Seasonal server is wiped, one of its continent will be included in Static server. Every character and building in this continent will be redeemed and translated to Static server.
-When season is over and Seasonal server is wiped, one of Static server continents will be wiped and replaced by the redeemed continent of the season.
-Seasonal server end-game will be a series of quest to find out wich continent will be saved, to move there. No one should spawn in this continent.
-Static server population will know wich continent will be wiped every time, so they are able to adapt to the new situation while the season lasts.

Version 2:
-Same base idea of 2 servers
-Instead several continents, only one but in the center of a large mass of water.
-Seasonal late-game is to find a whirlpool to save yourself from the wipe. Whirlpool only reachable by sea with big boats, ofc. When you cross it, your character is in a limbo until season ends.
-After wipe, seasonal characters able to reach the whirpool are teleported to random places in the deep water of static server (with their boats and belongings, ofc)

[Sarge]

So the double digit player base is now also split across 2 servers?

[Hrenli]

-Two servers
...
-Every time Seasonal server resets, the tested and improved updates are included in Static server

First bullet suck for the reason of dividing the already low enough server population and actually splitting the game in two. Second bullet might be troublesome if new feature ends up being incompatible with old world.

But overall I think it's interesting take on seasons. At least for the purpose of brainstorming.

[pppp]

+1
On condition the seasonal server won't last longer than 3 months, preferably 2. That's enough for most zero attention span people to get bored and quit.
Saving seasonal world chars would be a nice thing but not necessary. Unique rewards attached to the account (like hats) would suffice.
No point moving parts of the map to the permanent server.
If no one spawns in the map part to be saved, it is easy to identify it, just spawn 1000 alts and see which area is excluded. Also, there will be no random hearthfires in the area, just fortified bases.

I'd say the influx of returning and new people will be more than current numbers on the single server. Of course there will be less players on the old server.
The <<I don't want to play old world>> and <<wipe every year is too often>> are two different groups of players.

Regarding saving parts of the server I liked the idea of preserving nice things in a separate world that is not exactly playable but can be visited.

[Uriel]

-1
Nice idea, but we don't have so much players... yet.

[Aceb]

-1 we don't have big players base and this is not necessary. It won't solve problems, it would make much more of them.



If anything, I would rather have 5 expendable map part (north,west,east,south, special underground) that realms can access once a while permanently (once per month), when a realm achieves at least 3 of those being conquered for a month more, the world is set on reset timer and everybody who are belonging to realm, in the moment of timer set, are awarded one-time cape that is account bound that represent this world victory in one way or another.

[MagicManICT]

As an example of a smaller game that split its player base over multiple servers, I can refer to a Seatribe developed game, Salem, and another game that originally came out around 2003, A Tale in the Desert. Both severely damaged their player bases by dividing an already small group into even smaller groups that left the games unfun due to even fewer character interactions. More to the point, Salem attempted this very concept, and it, in my opinion, failed miserably. (I'll note that this was after Seatribe sold Salem development to Mortal Moments, but it was an idea being kicked around before the transfer.)

[boogis]

+ for continents

[avros008]

+++++

[Embers]

While I enjoy the fantasy of continents and crossing the seas to trade, I don't really like the idea of community being divided