Networking 101/Login/Re-Try/Queues

[Maeka]

Seriously, I've never seen a game that acts like this (except for Final Fantasy XI).

Earlier today, I attempted to Q up with my FC for Final Steps of Faith. We got the dreaded black screen and then an error (what is that error again, 92001 or some such? You know the one).



Then I'm looking at my Title Screen.

So I log back into my Data Center, get my character list, and then try to log on, and it's "Your character is logged on, try again in a little while" or whatever that message says to that effect.

10 seconds later... "Server full. 531 players in queue."

5 minutes later, it's my turn....

"DISCONNECTED FROM SERVER."

Go back in, "Server full 598 players in queue"

.......sigh.

So let's look at this from a networking perspective and see if I get this straight.

I was connected to the server and logged on just fine before Qing up for FSoF. We queue'd up, and the game tried to move us to a/the instance server. This server, for some reason, was either full, or was not functioning properly which resulted in a failure to log onto that server.

So..... instead of sending us back to the world server (Lamia), the game goes "Ooops. Guess we better cut all connections altogether!" and doesn't even log the character out, but just drops the connection entirely?

Wut?

This doesn't even make sense.

And then, when trying to log back on, I wait out the queue... I start logging onto the server, but something happens and I get disconnected. There's no, you know, re-try, but a "Oops. This failed. Cut the connection." and I get sent back to Title Screen.

Now..... this is how it SHOULD have happened:

1). Q up for instance.
2a). The world server you are going from waits for confirmation that you entered the instance server successfully.
3a). You enter the instance server.
--OR--
2b). The world server you are going from waits for confirmation, but you failed to enter the instance server.
3b). You are sent back to where you were with an error, something like "failed to enter duty, please try again later yadda yadda".

And the whole login thing?

1). Try to log on.
2a). Failed? The data center server remembers that you waited the Queue out but failed to log on, it tells the world server "let this person log on the next available slot" so the player doesn't have to sit through queue -again-.

And/or

2b). Failed? The game automatically tries to reconnect if the first connection attempt failed and then tries 2a above.

boom.

Much less waiting in queue, and fewer unhappy players.

This is how any other MMORPG out there does it.

I get that this is the release of an expansion and that there will be congestion, but these archaic networking practices are making things worse than they really have to be.

[galbsadi]

If they're not going to fix it, they should at least extend our game time for literally wasting our time. Going on 2.5 hours with no login ability....

[Maeka]

If they're not going to fix it, they should at least extend our game time for literally wasting our time. Going on 2.5 hours with no login ability....

I'm not going to sit here and hurl insults at SE or make demands or ask for money back or anything like that, I'm trying to offer constructive input on how to alleviate the problem, and asking why they are doing things this way when it looks like it could really be done better.

[galbsadi]

I'm not going to sit here and hurl insults at SE or make demands or ask for money back or anything like that, I'm trying to offer constructive input on how to alleviate the problem, and asking why they are doing things this way when it looks like it could really be done better.

That's fair for you to have that mindset. I'm not hurling insults at them either, but rather looking for constructive input on how a business is going to help rectify a business problem that exists entirely on their end, not unlike how I would expect to rectify a problem if the business I work at created a similar issue.