World of Warcraft: Current Year

Are there any advantages to CRZ that make this approach much better then simply merging servers? All I can see is less bad PR and name change hassle, that makes it a marketing decision I guess?

Aren't merges happening? Slowly, but doesnt crz turn off on those servers then?

The way I understand it CRZ *are* their version of merges. That why I ask for the upside, seems to be alot of development work just to avoid being savaged by the internet with baseless "lol server merges WoW is dead" news.

negative PR on server merges isn't the whole reason, probably a bigger one is not forcing people to go through name changes, reconfiguring UI, guild name changes, etc, etc. At this point most people who still play wow are like old people, they really hate change and if something comes around thats a big disruption it'll just be easier to walk away than deal with a bunch of shit like losing your character or guilds name.

so yeah I think virtual servers is a clever way to get around it, and it is a very smart system for MMOs going forward. Release at launch with more servers, slowly collapse them down into a single virtual megaserver as your game ages but its all invisible as far as users are concerned.

No. Connected realms = merges. The CRZ was the fast track tech for answering the "we don't have anyone to play with" complaint. The merges are happening now but slowly. Not sure if crz gets turned off then though.

Fingz_sl said:

There were hundreds of posts on the forums saying how the world was dead and you never saw anybody while leveling. Never mind that the game is years old and everyone is at max level. So Blizz fixed it.

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See, this is why you don't listen to fucking idiots who don't realize what they are asking for.

Only twice did I run into problems while leveling up... once was in Gilneas during Worgen newbie quests. There is a quest to find some hidden guy and as you walk towards where he is, he freezes you and you have to use some item to break out of the freeze trap. Some level 90 hunter was just standing there and he would tag the mob over and over and over again so couldn't kill the guy. I think you had to loot something off him so killing him even though he wasn't your target didn't seem to work.

The other time was in Stranglethorn because of course those fucking tigers were impossible to find still.

I did level 1-60 within a month last winter and now 60-80 during the last few weeks, 95% of that through outdoor questing. I do play on a PvP server and in all that time I had one encounter that I would actually class as PvP. Server merges couldnt come faster, and the people that want a single player can go play a single player game for all I care.

If merging down to 40 servers would overload the endgame zones (as if anything of value isnt instanced) then use the hundreds of leftover servers they just switch off and steal overflow tech from GW2.

Mr Creed_sl said:

I did level 1-60 within a month last winter and now 60-80 during the last few weeks, 95% of that through outdoor questing. I do play on a PvP server and in all that time I had one encounter that I would actually class as PvP. Server merges couldnt come faster, and the people that want a single player can go play a single player game for all I care.

If merging down to 40 servers would overload the endgame zones (as if anything of value isnt instanced) then use the hundreds of leftover servers they just switch off and steal overflow tech from GW2.

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Mount Hyjal, and sometimes Hellfire Penninsula.

Enjoy getting ganked as soon as you land, over and over, forever. You can get around it by going to Vash'jr, but the problem with that is you are in Vash'jr.

leveling alliance on tichondrius was pretty much like that all the way from TBC to 90, half of the scrubs would be trailing a 90 with them so they don't even have to try to fight back, buncha gimps~

That must be some special level of hell reserved for some very special people. WoW pvp is the worst pvp that I've ever played in a game, and even participating makes no difference in anything. For someone, or a group of someones, to actually be waiting around in zones to gank must be some kind of punishment? Seriously?

funny enough all the assholes I run into are from Mal'Ganis.

Mr Creed_sl said:

The way I understand it CRZ *are* their version of merges. That why I ask for the upside, seems to be alot of development work just to avoid being savaged by the internet with baseless "lol server merges WoW is dead" news.

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A connected realm is more like a merge in the traditional sense. The realms you are connected with can be in the same guilds, share an AH, do normal / heroic mode raids together, etc. CRZ's are just people from your battle group appearing in lower level zones at the same time as you. You can group with them to do quests but thats about it.

And yeah CRZ serves no purpose except for it ganking if you are on a PvP realm, and quests taking longer because no one wants to group for quests so you have to compete over mobs / items. The better idea would have been to just put in a queuing mechanism for the really hard group shit (which I think is supposed to happen in WoD) and otherwise leave the zones dead.

Dumar_sl said:

That must be some special level of hell reserved for some very special people. WoW pvp is the worst pvp that I've ever played in a game, and even participating makes no difference in anything. For someone, or a group of someones, to actually be waiting around in zones to gank must be some kind of punishment? Seriously?

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This guy is the guy who wants open-ended sandbox gameplay.

The Ancient_sl said:

This guy is the guy who wants open-ended sandbox gameplay.

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Absolutely, but for some mechanically-backed reason. In UO, I could steal all your lovely black pearls or halberd of vanq. And of course, I could cut off your head and keep it in my house.

Death has no meaning whatsoever, and there's no advantage for me to kill you whatsoever - and consequently, no disadvantage leveled on me by killing you. Such terrible, shitty design.

I think a WoW pvp server would be my special level of hell. Whoever wins, nobody does: nothing matters...ever.

There is an advantage to them killing you. It's fun.

Kreugen_sl said:

Mount Hyjal, and sometimes Hellfire Penninsula.

Enjoy getting ganked as soon as you land, over and over, forever. You can get around it by going to Vash'jr, but the problem with that is you are in Vash'jr.

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Bears can play on PVE servers if they cant stand PVP interfering with their level speed, the consequences of server choice should be clear. If you do mean getting ganked by a bored 90 I'm still with you though, because getting one-shot by someone 20 levels higher occasionally really doesnt bother me *if leveling would otherwise be a fun experience because you run into other players of your level*. But since you only meet a random troll every few levels and otherwise nobody at all, those trolls stand out more I guess.

And actually, I did level in HFP and a bit around Auchindoun and that was it for TBC because I was 68 and headed to Northrend, did Borean Tundra to 80 and just started Hyjal two days ago. Ganking was nowhere as bad as you describe but maybe your server group had more bored 90s. It's not like WoW is going to change in this regard, I'm hoping leveling differences are done away with eventually but that's a job for upcoming games not this dinosaur.

Agraza_sl said:

There is an advantage to them killing you. It's fun.

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So the person loses 30 seconds running back to their corpse? Exciting.