Patch Notes 15/9/2017

[wargrimnir]

Updated OP with latest hotfix.

[Hargrim]

Gives also more incentives for sub 40 people to seek fights in T2 T3, which might just lessen zerg impact in T4 assuming there is a variety of available zones.

The purpose of merge was to let everyone play in same brackets. Why would we want to funnel them back to T2 and T3?

Also, where are now all those people that claimed opening more zones will reduce zerg?

[Aurandilaz]

Gives also more incentives for sub 40 people to seek fights in T2 T3, which might just lessen zerg impact in T4 assuming there is a variety of available zones.

The purpose of merge was to let everyone play in same brackets. Why would we want to funnel them back to T2 and T3?

Also, where are now all those people that claimed opening more zones will reduce zerg?

I like the merge of T2T3T4, nothing against that. It's just that maybe the potions make more people want to seek fights in other tiers than just T4, but not sure about that, since T4 has the best loot and usually the biggest fights, at least so I have noticed during past days; people stick to the big T4 fight despite T2 having maybe two zones open for capture. It's good to get big fights, but having multiple zones open is odd since most players still prefer to choose the zone with biggest fight.

As for opening more zones to reduce the zerg, well, it works, but barely. Now people aren't forced to all stay in same zone. However, ~80-90% of players tend to stick to the big fights in one zone instead of roaming other more emptier lakes, because the incentives are what they are. You get medals from kills, and the best way to get kills is to hit your AoE and aim wherever greatest number of red targets is.

I'd already maybe consider switch from testing 3 open zones to 2 open zones, see if a "defined side theatre" is better than having one main fight, and 2 dead side lakes.

[Hargrim]

I'd already maybe consider switch from testing 3 open zones to 2 open zones, see if a "defined side theatre" is better than having one main fight, and 2 dead side lakes.

Having 2 zones instead of 3 will change nothing.

[Haojin]

Answer is : human psychology

Zerging or blobbing is a community issue, yes. However, you can split significant amount of players with feeding their greed.

My solition will be like that:

1-Get rid off loser bags; implement the old keep defence tick. [if inner is down and reward without a gold bag]
2-Get rid off pvedoor system; make same rewards if attackers got X+ players in a zone even with 0 defenders.

first suggestion isn't about splitting the zerg; it's about keep pugs motivated for keep defence. because the last 6-7 months majority of players don't give a **** about keep def. they want fast zone lock and get rewarded fast. thats why pugs always going for BO's when keep is under attack.

second option is obvious, because nobody don't want to roll with 200+ players in a single zone so they will move to another one. if someone decides to defend [thanks state of realm addon] rvr will be created there, otherwise so be it, let them enjoy pvedoor. [maybe hard buff to keep lords if zone is completely empty so defenders have a chance to react]

[Hargrim]

1-Get rid off loser bags; implement the old keep defence tick. [if inner is down and reward without a gold bag]
2-Get rid off pvedoor system; make same rewards if attackers got X+ players in a zone even with 0 defenders.

IMO all this promotes is just taking empty keeps and avoiding fight, not spliting the zerg.

[footpatrol2]

The major design flaw which isn't RoR's fault is player choice. There is too much of it.

Allowing player's to go anywhere at any time for any reason in any pairing is asking for zerg conditions to arise. The path of least resistance will always be taken. Always. I don't like the path of least resistance but most due. I actively look for fights, thats my fun. The fight is the fun for me. I wasted enough time in my life taking empty keeps in AoR. I wish I could get that wasted time back.

For other's fun is gear acquisition at any means. It's the chase of the carrot. That's their fun which leads to issues.

Restrict player choice. Don't allow all player's to enter a RvR lake. I don't know how to implement something like this on this server. I know how I would do it but it would be grossly unpopular with the majority of the community.

This is the bold moves that mythic couldn't do because it's going to be initially very unpopular.

Letting player's decide where to go at any time for any reason in any pairing will always lead to a zerg. Always.

It's a super tough problem. Incentive's kinda don't work against least resistence. Too much player choice.

[Scrilian]

Zerging or blobbing is a made up issue, that mostly resides on the forums and is usually brought up when one's supposed outstanding "quality" of a group/warband can't defeat the other sides "quantity".

That's why all the proposed/applied solutions to a non-issue have failed up to this point, I don't know, it can't get more transparent than this. Only someone truly delusional would assume that, for example, people enjoy grouping up 100 players in one spot and run around killing 10 dudes - and not do it to actually even out or tip the odds in their favor for the next big fight.

The game itself already has a BO system with quite a few well placed choke points within a number of RvR zones. That's an original design choice and with everything said about Mythic - not a bad one. The best you can do is fine tune it add leave it to the players, not battle some meta-psychological demons.

That is all.

[Hargrim]

The major design flaw which isn't RoR's fault is player choice. There is too much of it.

Allowing player's to go anywhere at any time for any reason in any pairing is asking for zerg conditions to arise. The path of least resistance will always be taken. Always. I don't like the path of least resistance but most due. I actively look for fights, thats my fun. The fight is the fun for me. I wasted enough time in my life taking empty keeps in AoR. I wish I could get that wasted time back.

For other's fun is gear acquisition at any means. It's the chase of the carrot. That's their fun which leads to issues.

Restrict player choice. Don't allow all player's to enter a RvR lake. I don't know how to implement something like this on this server. I know how I would do it but it would be grossly unpopular with the majority of the community.

This is the bold moves that mythic couldn't do because it's going to be initially very unpopular.

Letting player's decide where to go at any time for any reason in any pairing will always lead to a zerg. Always.

It's a super tough problem. Incentive's kinda don't work against least resistence. Too much player choice.

So you propose something that will our whole playerbase and it will resolve the issue of overpopulation?

And if we have currently the zergs because 3 pairings are open why we had zergs 3 days ago when only 1 pairing was open?

[footpatrol2]

You could separate the population somehow or put in population caps on RvR zones.

I don't know what to do exactly but if you let player's have a choice they will consolidate in one spot. So you have to separate the population and it can't be by player choice.

Opening up the 3 pairings won't spread out the population. Before when the 3 pairings were open in AoR player's still consolidated.