We usually don't realize it, but there is actually an upper limit to the number of instances that can be created in
WoW at any given moment. If all the players on your server somehow decided to run Karazhan at about the same time, you'd find that after a certain number of raids had gotten started, some players would be stuck at the loading screen, waiting for the others to finish. Normally, of course, it's not a problem, because people don't all go to Karazhan at the same time. But at prime time, the 2-vs-2 arena instances are as popular as can be, so the 2-vs-2 arena instance slots get full, and frustrated players sometimes find themselves
waiting a good long time for one of their turn to fight.
Last month, Drysc said that the
Blizzard team still didn't know what to do about it. But now, he says that they do have
a special change planned to help solve this problem.
It's going to require a patch, though, and not the upcoming
patch 2.3.2, either, but it is scheduled for some point in the future, "as soon as possible."
Patch 2.4 perhaps? "
The change," Drysc says, "will make it so that more instances can kick up in a shorter amount of time. Which doesn't necessarily mean there can't ever be a wait again, but it should drastically decrease them." However much "drastically" is, shorter is always better than longer, when it comes to queues! Tags: 2v2, 3v3, 5v5, arena, arena-pvp, patch-2.3.2, patch-2.4, pvp
Filed under: Patches, PvP, Arena
Jan 4th 2008 at 9:01AM 
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
evestraw Jan 4th 2008 9:24AM
i used to think the queues where lack of aponents and spamming people to join arena's":P
Orin Jan 4th 2008 10:09AM
I find many of the replies to the linked forum thread very amusing. People saying Blizzard can't do anything about it. HA! The hell they can't! I work IT as a sys admin. I understand the reasons why there are queues in the first place. The issue is that Blizzard doesn't want to invest the time and money it will take to resolve the issue with game updates, hardware, man hours, etc. It adds up, and the money they may lose in some people quitting in frustration is far less than the cost of the fixes.
Drysc is now saying they may have a fix, but we all know it'll be quite a while before we see that fix based on the vague ETA he gave.
Oh well, I guess I'll just keep plugging away at the few arena games I do with a friend. Thankfully PvP isn't my main focus in WoW. It's unfortunate though for the folks that do prefer to PvP.
Ahoni Jan 4th 2008 10:25AM
"The hell they can't! I work IT as a sys admin."
So, because you work in IT you completely understand everything Blizzard does and know how to fix it? Didn't think so.
"The issue is that Blizzard doesn't want to invest the time and money it will take to resolve the issue with game updates, hardware, man hours, etc. It adds up, and the money they may lose in some people quitting in frustration is far less than the cost of the fixes."
Somehow I doubt it. Blizzard is far too smart, and from your post, you appear to be far from smart. Blizzard is a cautious company when it comes to implementing IT changes. While I don't have an inside view, I pay attention to what they tell us, and it is easy to see that they don't rush around like a chicken with their head cut off just because some QQ crybaby arena players are upset.
Blizzard can see there is a problem. They are aware of what they can do to fix it. They will not change their entire IT schedule to address one little issue that upsets a few players. If you really knew anything about IT on a large scale, you would know that you cannot just run around and throw some more servers at the problem. Bad IT organizations and badly managed companies do things like that. We have money ... just throw more resources at the problem.
Blizzard will fix it. Not today. When the fix is ready. When the fix won't upset the schedule of other work they have going on. This is not a critical flaw. Servers are not exploding. People are not getting disconnected from the game. Players are not being deprived of a single thing. The only problem here, is they have to wait a few minutes.
Naix Jan 4th 2008 11:57AM
Working in IT myself as a SysAdmin I understand were your coming from. You can fix any IT problem (really any problem) with money. With the 9 million+ people paying $15 a month you would think they have enough capital to do ANYTHING.
It would be interesting to see their data room setup.
Orin Jan 4th 2008 12:18PM
So, um, Ahoni, uou agree with me? Cause your rant and personal attacks against me seems to say otherwise...
I don't think you read my whole comment, since after reading yours, we both seem to agree at a base level that Blizzard can fix it, they just don't want to pump everything into the effort it will take to do it ASAP to appease a smallish percentage of players who are complaining.
Ahoni Jan 4th 2008 12:38PM
I have read your comment Orin. Several times.
I get aggravated at people who post nonsense about how Blizzard could fix things "if they wanted" to. I get aggravated at people who suggest that making changes to an IT infrastructure as complex as what Blizzard is running is simple, or easy or can be done on a whim.
My opinion, is that this is not a problem where Blizzard should "pump everything into the effort." This is not a problem. This is a little bit of congestion. It is being addressed. It will be fixed, when Blizzard's schedule allows.
Only morons try to fix problems by throwing $$ at it. Usually morons who don't have to actually pay the bill themselves. If you doubt it, take a look at our government :)
Naix Jan 4th 2008 12:55PM
@Ahoni
"I get aggravated at people who post nonsense about how Blizzard could fix things "if they wanted" to..."
Blizzard could and can do anything they want to the game. It says so right in the EULA...
"Changes to the Terms of Use Agreement or the Program.
Blizzard reserves the right, at its sole and absolute discretion, to change, modify, add to, supplement or delete any of the terms and conditions of this Agreement at any time, including without limitation access policies, the availability of any feature of the Program, hours of availability, content, data."
So yes they can make a change anytime they want.
We are not suggesting Blizzard change their entire IT infrastructure, but add access to other server PVP ques to shorten the wait time. I seriously doubt Blizzard has that complex of a infrastructure. What may appear complex to the average AOL user is child's play to an IT professional.
"Only morons try to fix problems by throwing $$ at it."
So the Blizzard admins need to work for free then? Hardware companies should just donate servers to Blizzard?
How else does work get done without throwing money at it?
Ahoni Jan 4th 2008 1:39PM
Ladies and gentlemen, I proudly offer to you my candidate for our next President of the United States, Naix!
Not even George W. Bush could so completely miss the point.
/sigh
It ain't worth it.
[comments deleted]
Naix Jan 4th 2008 2:11PM
@ Ahoni
You clearly have no idea how servers, networking, business operations, and development works.
Good_Idea Jan 4th 2008 10:40AM
Will be nice when they fix it. 2v2 times on my server are usually 5-6 minutes. 3v3 times are 10-30 seconds.
Drew Jan 4th 2008 12:57PM
2v2 is useless...at 1500 im going against teams with full merciless and waiting 7 minutes for a que that gives me less points.
Have you guys noticed how blizzard is slacking? Maybe it has to do with WotLK but I have noticed a slump.
infection Jan 4th 2008 1:33PM
“So, because you work in IT you completely understand everything Blizzard does and know how to fix it? Didn't think so.”
So Ahoni, you post against Orin telling him that he doesn’t know anything about blizzard’s infrastructure, yet you come back with this.
“While I don't have an inside view, I pay attention to what they tell us, and it is easy to see that they don't rush around like a chicken with their head cut off just because some QQ crybaby arena players are upset.”
Sooooo, now you are an expert at IT infrastructure and cooperation decisions based off of “paying attention to what they tell us”.
Your post gets an A+ for trolling without a clue.
Anyone here an expert at our Government behind the scenes? Just because you pay attention to “what they tell us”?
Hahahaha
If you want to defend blizzard, at least come up with something better than just a bias rant that obviously showed no intellect at all.
Naix Jan 4th 2008 2:17PM
Could not have said it better myself.
Zarzuur Jan 5th 2008 7:39AM
"If all the players on your server somehow decided to run Karazhan at about the same time, you'd find that after a certain number of raids had gotten started, some players would be stuck at the loading screen, waiting for the others to finish."
There is always going to be a server limit so maybe Blizz should just put a Cancel button if dungeons are full .. being stuck in a loading screen with no key escape doesn't sound good.
Josh Jan 5th 2008 11:04AM
I don't know much about IT structure, but normally isn't the majority of Blizzard's arena servers allocated to 5v5. That being said what would stop them from switching that on a regular basis, such as 2v2 day every Thursday, 3v3 on Sunday and since 5's are the most popular and most likely to run into day difficulties do them every day other than those 2.