Why No New RP-PVP Realm?
by Mike D'Anna 
Mar 22nd 2006 at 12:00PM
Elizabeth's post about starting over got me to thinking; why did we get a new server of each type, except for RP-PvP?
There are only four (I think) servers of this type right now, and they're all full at any time of day. I have characters
on three of them, and just last night, the lag was so bad on both Lightninghoof and Emerald Dream that they were all but
unplayable.I like RP-PvP servers because I think they give you the PvP element and also serve to filter out some of the more hardcore gankers at the same time. I'd love to start a new character on a fresh one, too...but I guess I'm just out of luck for now...
Filed under: Realm News, Analysis / Opinion, Realm Status, Odds and ends, Blizzard, PvP
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
goochoz Mar 22nd 2006 1:28PM
Emerald Dream lag is getting pretty bad. World servers go down frequently.
RP-PVP is nice because it cuts down on the 133t guys idotic discussions and phuctard play styles.
Whenever my fellow posters are on ED with an alliance msg Nippon and say hi :)
bobilox Mar 22nd 2006 4:38PM
This pertains to lag, not new servers. When I started playing WoW last November, the game worked fine. Then in January it started lagging. I installed a new graphics card and lag got a little better but continued to worsen. Especially around 10PM EST. Buy March, lag was so bad that moving around SW and IF was nearly impossable and I would get DCed on half the flights in and out of IF.
Two weeks ago, a friend said it sounded like I needed more memory. After adding another 512mb of memory to my PC, all that movment lag went away and there is no DC on aerogriff flights. I still get vendor, mail and loot lag now and then.
So, when people talk about lag, is it movement lag or vendor, mail and loot lag? It seems the two are unrelated. Has WoW changed memory requirements for the game? Should they? And how is the number of people playing related to the memory in my PC?
bobilox Mar 22nd 2006 4:49PM
This is about lag. I had really bad movent and aerogriff lag. Especially in SW and IF. Then a friend said add more memory. After replacing the two 256mb memory cards with two 512mb, all that nasty lag was gone.
I get vendor, mail and looting lag now and then. Seems like there are two kinds of lag.
Has Blizzard changed memory requirements for the game? Should they? The movement lag was worse guring peak times. How is the number of people online related to my PC memory?
obo Mar 22nd 2006 10:49PM
The movement and flight stuttering that's solved by more RAM isn't lag, it's running out of RAM and hitting the hard drive's swap file. That _causes_ lag, and it makes the game stutter, but it's not a network problem. This is a client-side problem.
Mail, loot and vendor lag are server-side. Adding a new realm wouldn't necessarily solve these problems; upgrading the servers and bandwidth availability on the existing realms could. The only benefit to a new RP-PvP realm would possibly be to offload some of the users off the current realms and reduce the stress on them. What's more likely, though, is that tons of people on pure PvP servers with level 1-20, maybe 1-30 toons who are fed up with their own realms would flock to the new RP-PvP realm and start over.
On another note, can a brother get a realm transfer off Feathermoon to this new RP-PvE?
obo Mar 22nd 2006 10:56PM
The movement and flight stuttering that's solved by more RAM isn't lag, it's running out of RAM and hitting the hard drive's swap file. More people online leads to your computer having to store more data to keep track of them all. Ever run in a 40-man raid with 512MB of RAM? It sucks.
Hitting the swap file _causes_ your end to lag, making you look like you're lagging to everyone else who's not having problems, and it makes the game stutter on your end, but it's not a network problem. This is a client-side problem. You had enough to play the game, but not what's recommended for an optimal experience - in this case, playing at peak hours on a fully-populated server. (http://www.worldofwarcraft.com/info/faq/technology.html)
Mail, loot and vendor lag are server-side and unrelated to your computer. Adding a new realm wouldn't necessarily solve these problems; upgrading the servers and bandwidth availability on the existing realms could. The only benefit to a new RP-PvP realm would possibly be to offload some of the users off the current realms and reduce the stress on them. What's more likely, though, is that tons of people on pure PvP servers with level 1-20, maybe 1-30 toons who are fed up with their own realms would flock to the new RP-PvP realm and start over.
On another note, can a brother get a realm transfer off Feathermoon to this new RP-PvE?
bobilox Mar 23rd 2006 5:38AM
Thanks, obo, for the explanation. I didn't realize my PC need to keep track of all the other players.
I have Windows XP, 2.8 GHz processor, 256mb ATI 9250 graphics card, broadband and 30Gb Disk space. Except for the 512Mb main memory, it was well above Blizzards minimum. The 'stutter' made the game unplayabe at times. And it looked like something I would call lag.
How many other people are playing on a min recomended PC, calling what they see, lag? And are unhappy with Blizzard.
Mike Mar 23rd 2006 7:29AM
To answer your question: Probably a lot.
I started playing with 384 MB of RAM in my machine. Org and IF were unplayable. I upgraded to 1 GB. Org and IF are, for the most part, smoothly rendered. Conclusion: The game is "playable" with 384 MB of RAM, but you need at least 1 GB of RAM to eliminate the movement stutters and frame rate problems in the major cities (Org, IF, etc.).
I HOPE that when all of these people complain about lag and latency issues, they're not just complaining about an inadequate client machine that is causing frame rate issues. However, it's possible that Blizzard knows something I don't and that's why they don't take these lag issues seriously, i.e. they know what machines these people are running WoW on and know that the "lag" they are experiencing goes by the name of "256 MB of RAM".
Azagath Mar 23rd 2006 11:34AM
I too play on well above the system requirements; all except for the RAM that is. I run on 512 right now, but as the others said, capitol cities are dang near unplayable. I can't complain though, these days there isn't much reason not to be running more RAM than that. I just hope that making the upgrade will solve my problem. Does anyone know that making the jump to 1 GB is enough, or to get optimal play, should I jump to 1.5?
Mat Mar 23rd 2006 12:07PM
Azagath, you're always better to keep doubling if you can afford it.
I have one box with 1gb and it handles the load pretty well, but my main with 2gb is much, much better.
jennie Mar 23rd 2006 12:19PM
For various reasons I went to 1.5 from 512 and it's fantastic. To be fair, I haven't tried just 1GB, but 1.5 is smooth as anything.
jennie Mar 23rd 2006 12:36PM
For various reasons I went to 1.5 from 512 and it's fantastic. To be fair, I haven't tried just 1GB, but 1.5 is smooth as anything.