Can we PLEASE get maintenance at different times of the day?

[LionKing]

Because this topic had been debated so much in the past if you bother using search function. Also, this is not a rocket science to understand that by playing MMORPG which is an online game, this is a thing we all have to deal with,whether we like it or not. It is not that hard o figure it and understand it.

[UBERHAXED]

Not seeing the problem here. Back at launch (2.0) they actually had maintenance at like 6PM EST for like 5 hours. You know, actually prime time. Moving it so that the vast majority of working adults (and kids for that matter) are not playing the game makes more sense. That being said, the real reason is that this is the end of work day in Japan and moving it earlier will fall into prime time (which they aren't going to do again) and later will fall into after work hours. Also I'm pretty certain that the patch installations are remote (for NA/EU). Anything else is illogical. In industry, no one designs software where you have to physically be there to do the installation.

[Colorful]

That maintenance doesn't happen often enough to really annoy me, not usually anyway (from an AUS player). I'd prefer it if they had a test server up like Blizzard does, instead of having to hotfix the hotfix that hotfixed a different hotfix, you can do that on the public test servers and instead just push one hotfix. No idea why they haven't done this yet, many things such as class balance issues could have been avoided. I guess they don't want to have their content spoiled beforehand.

[Chiramu]

I'd prefer it if they had a test server up like Blizzard does...

The people on the "test" servers of WoW do no testing whatsoever(people use them to see the content before other people), so the only thing a test server would do is push content releases back.

[Mankrik]

Oh please.

You all need to just stop. I don't actually believe that you buy these arguments.

-But their work schedules!
Really? This is a game in which a service is provided for hundreds of thousands of people. Having a patch team come in during non-standard hours is not only incredibly appropriate but also the industry standard.

-Somebody's always gonna be unhappy!
Ok. Apply this argument to literally any complaint that has ever been made. Great. He's asking for a rotation to make far fewer people unhappy. I don't agree with his request because statics need to be able to schedule things without random maintenances.

-It's scheduled around Japan! Japanese company, you guyz!!
No it isn't. 3pm-7pm is not a maintenance schedule you would choose to minimize the number of players impacted. Anyone who wants to play when they get off work/school will be negatively impacted. Could it be worse for Japan? Sure. Does that make it good? No.

Stagger by region. Profoundly obvious.

[UBERHAXED]

Nonsense.

You're delusional if you think the reason is not their work schedules. That being said, NA (i.e. the second largest group) prime time is no longer during maintenance, so they will gladly sacrifice outliers to please the most amount of people, since they logically cannot please everyone. Deal with the fact that if you don't work a day job (or go to school during the day for that matter) then you are not in the majority. I happen to have some draconian work hours sometimes (because I'm salaried) but still core hours are between 9 and 3. If you aren't out of your house during this time doing something productive, then you aren't a person they they would call the majority.

[LionKing]

Who will pay those workers extra time or to pay for another non-standard team to do the work? You? And even if they did, meaning less funds will go to developing the game, meaning more players will be unhappy. From a business stand point, it is horrible

[Darkobra]

Every MMO, no matter the time, there's a thread like this. And not a single company has said "I'm going to change my work schedule JUST for you!"

[Amiantos]

Only people I can see it possibly being a real issue with is people in Japan, NZ, AU, and other Asian countries. I get off work here in Okinawa at around 4pm and these maints tend to be 3 or 4 pm to 6 or 7pm for me. To me it seems like they're really considerate about the majority of NA and EU players who work 9-5 or have classes. The maints happen when the vast majority are asleep or at work for them. While you get affected by this sadly you are within the minority of players who work odd hours.

[ruskie]

You know who I only care about in this whole discussion? The people working behind the scenes getting it all sorted and working. They don't do all the work in this short time frame, they prepare it before then, they preload stuff, check a lot etc... And they deserve to do this during the time it is most comfortable for them to do. The rest of us just need to live with whatever choice that is. And to them I lift a glass and hope they will have a good day after the mess upgrading stuff usually is.