@Devs: Please allow us to travel at will between servers.

[Pseudopsia]

By the way, to those worried that this kind of system is "too much work" (for some reason), Square Enix has an entire team of network engineers working on ARR. When the game will be launched that team won't be just laid off and won't go on extended leave. They won't also spend all of their time (or even the majority) babysitting the servers in day to day maintenance.

You got to stop defending your points with something you know nothing about. The way you make it sound that everything begins and ends with ARR. Square-enix is a large company that develop many games. SE wouldn't hire network engineers and administrators just for a single game and lay them off when it's complete. You hire network engineers to design, configure and manage a network for a given data center. SE would reuse/upgrade existing network infrastructure and to it for ARR servers since it's already in place for the Japanese servers. These people are constantly working on tasks for different projects.

You overestimate the amount of work a network engineer would have to configure to allow for server to server communication. Most likely it's just opening network flows.

[Eekiki]

In my VMWare cluster at work, I can move the processing responsibilities of an entire server from one physical box to another in a matter of seconds.

In a data center, data storage is a separate physical entity from the servers. Moving our characters from one server to another is as simple as clicking a button that tells the servers what character data it is now responsible for.

[Alhanelem]

It's a tad early for bed.

But yeah, it's my own thread, if you don't mind I'll respond to whomever I please?

I don't really need a secretary to regulate my online interactions and writing schedule, but if you really are hell bent on taking the role, tell your people to contact my people.

The point he's trying to make is: You're wasting your time replying to people. You're not going to change anybody's minds, just as nobody could change yours. If you really have nothing better to do than try to prove people they're wrong on the internet, I recommend finding a new hobby.

[razz]

I totally like the idea from OP.
But i dont see this as a priority. First they need to get a good game and just stick to the well known server system. Server wide Content Finder is one step into the right direction. Maybe they can create those serverless game when releasing the 2nd or 3rd Addon, would be great. But only if the serverstress is acceptable. It's no win to force such system and ruin other game aspects.

[Abriael]

Ya its implemented in some games that don't run really well.

Only, they run plenty well.

Do you really think all those engineers working on ARR now will stay for maintenance. There is just no need to change the Server technology again (they just did that) and for maintnance you need way less and the rest will go on work on other projekts.

You got to stop defending your points with something you know nothing about. The way you make it sound that everything begins and ends with ARR. Square-enix is a large company that develop many games. SE wouldn't hire network engineers and administrators just for a single game and lay them off when it's complete. You hire network engineers to design, configure and manage a network for a given data center. SE would reuse/upgrade existing network infrastructure and to it for ARR servers since it's already in place for the Japanese servers. These people are constantly working on tasks for different projects.

That's not how it works in MMORPGs. In any AAA MMORPG most of the network engineering team doesn't go to work on other Projects after release. They stay to continuously update the network technology, to add new server features and and optimize and streamline the existing ones.

Some of those changes won't even be visible by the players, because they're completely server side and don't translate to game features, but they're constantly worked on. Sorry Pseudopsia, but this doesn't originate from me, as you already know, so maybe you should stop making parallels with the procedures involved in operating servers that have nothing to do with MMORPGs or the videogame market, and operate in whole different markets that don't involve the need to stay abreast of trends, competition and an increasingly demanding and selective userbase.

The point he's trying to make is: You're wasting your time replying to people.

I know worse timewasters, besides there are a few people here that do try to enable a discussion instead of just crying tears of blood because this would take some work to implement, and god forbid the development team does some additional work (that they very possibly already put in account). Evolution is obviously a bad thing!

[Pseudopsia]

That's not how it works in MMORPGs. In any AAA MMORPG most of the network engineering team doesn't go to work on other Projects after release. They stay to continuously update the network technology, to add new server features and and optimize and streamline the existing ones.

Some of those changes won't even be visible by the players, because they're completely server side and don't translate to game features, but they're constantly worked on. Sorry Pseudopsia, but this doesn't originate from me, as you already know, so maybe you should stop making parallels with the procedures involved in operating servers that have nothing to do with MMORPGs or the videogame market, and operate in whole different markets that don't involve the need to stay abreast of trends, competition and an increasingly demanding and selective userbase.

You either not relaying the information well or bull shitting.

This this interview describes what the role of a network engineer is:

Source: EverQuest II News - Interview with Roger Sewell
What are your responsibilities?
As a Network Engineer, we are responsible for the security and maintenance of our entire network. That includes all of the desktop machines, game servers, web servers, development servers, switches, routers, and any other device on our network that needs connectivity. I can't get into the specifics of the network as that is all fairly secret...sorry!

[Abriael]

You either not relaying the information well or bull shitting.

Too bad that I was clearly and explicitly referring to the network engineers that designed the server technology. Those that physically maintain the servers and equipment are still generally referred to as "network engineer" (which is a rather generic title that encompasses both design and management of networks, as specific titles, if you didn't notice, vary from company to company), but they have an entirely different specialization and seniority.

If you think those that designed the server tech from scratch will suddenly turn themselves into simple server monkeys (IE: The people that babysit the servers and their software physicallym which your "interview" describes), I'm afraid you're quite a lot off mark.

I'm relaying the information plenty well, don't worry, you're just trying to counter it with google, which isn't a good idea.

The sole fact that you think one smallish interview to ONE network engineer in ONE company can exclusively define the this whole big area of professional expertise is kind of hilarious, to be completely honest.

[Pseudopsia]

You're obviously not talking about a network engineer. Sound like an architect.

"designed the server technology" what does this mean? It gets like 4 hits on google.

You would choose the server technology, not design it.

I found one interview because it's very hard to find a interview of a network engineer for MMO's. The developers are usually interviewed since they do the bulk of the work. Network engineers need to ensure the network is in place, maintained and flows are open.

[Abriael]

You're obviously not talking about an network engineer. Sound like an architect.

"designed the server technology" what does this mean? It gets like 4 hits on google.

You would choose the server technology, not design it.

I found one interview because it's very hard to find a interview of a network engineer for MMO's. The developers are usually interviewed since they do the bulk of the work. Network engineers need to ensure the network is in place, maintained and flows are open.

MMORPG network technology is made by hardware and software. You (mostly) choose the hardware, and you can also choose some limited elements of the software (unless you're working on a pre-existing structure borrowed from another game, but that's kind of rare and usually still requires some design to make it fit), but most of the software part and the integration with the gameplay elements has to be designed.

Professionals with the qualification of a network engineer can either have a maintenance or design role, depending on their specialization, seniority and experience. Those that design the network tech on the software aspect are fully part of the development team, and they're those that would have to design this kind of system. And yeah, in some companies they're called network architects, network designers, and a whole big variety of other titles and variations of those titles.

But hey, keep googling and nitpicking on terminology that varies from software house to software house if it floats your boat. That's what they call "grasping at straws", and you seem to be very intent on doing it (while going massively off topic in the process), like fruitlessly attacking my personal credibility could somehow disprove the validity of this system. A hint: It doesn't.

But we all know how it goes 'round here already. "Can't attack the idea, attack the person".

[Coombah]