Patch 5.3 interview with Ghostcrawler
Mystery of the Unborn Val'kyr
The latest patch 5.3 news
All of the latest Mists of Pandaria newsBlizzCon 2009: Blizzard announces cross-server instances
by Michael Sacco 
Aug 22nd 2009 at 4:47PM
In what will certainly be the be-all end-all solution to "additional instances cannot be launched", Blizzard announced cross-server instances and LFG at the Dungeons and Raids panel at BlizzCon 2009.
By taking advantage of brand-new hardware separate from your realm's instance servers, not only will you be able to find groups from pools of players in your entire battlegroup, your realm's specific instance servers will be free of the stress of mass heroic-running.
On top of the convenience factor, Blizzard says that rewards will be in place for players who lead groups through instances successfully. The nature of the rewards is currently unknown but Blizzard promises more information soon.
Blizzard says that the feature will be used for 5-mans only at this time. It'll be launched with 3.3, not with Cataclysm.
Fantastic news! No more "additional instances" errors, a larger pool of players to choose your groups from, and rewards for good party leaders. Great news for everyone.
BlizzCon 2009 is here! WoW.com has continuing coverage, bringing you the latest in Cataclysm news, live blogs, galleries, and reports right from the convention floor. Check out WoW.com's Guide to BlizzCon for the latest!Filed under: Instances
Reader Comments (Page 3 of 5)
Alchemistmerlin Aug 22nd 2009 5:31PM
Hm...
Wait now how will this effect groups moving from 1 instance to another? Surely if my group is spread out across several servers, we can't all go from Heroic UK, to H UP, to H VH since we can't travel together. Do we stay in the group and then just meet when we get inside? Or what?
nieboh Aug 22nd 2009 8:42PM
This is an interesting question. I also wonder how summoning stones will work. "Hey, I'm in IF, can you summon me?" "Well, I clicked on the stone, but these other guys are on the wrong server:" Maybe they'll just move the summoning stones inside the instances.
Wintersdark Aug 22nd 2009 5:36PM
Wow. That's really, really awesome.
Really awesome. Extended to raids too, eventually, will be *fantastic* though I REALLY hope you can have a better selection system.
For example, a "select all" button; the ability to effectively LFG all heroics EXCEPT ones you're saved for. In fact, one that automatically disables entering LFG for instances you're saved for.
It's annoying when you've done one or two heroics, and just want to get into some other random one but don't care which.
This, though... really, it's outstanding. If they do go ahead and allow cross-server chat/friends lists too? zomg. I have so many friends on so many servers, being able to chat and instance with them? It would be fantastic, we'd get the benefits of a huge single-shard server like Eve without the horrible disadvantages (crushing, mindblowing lag if too many people are in the same place at the same time).
Imagine, if they extended it to Wintergrasp? Brought in cross-server folks to get everyone who queued on *any* server into the battle? Excess people who couldn't get in on their server, able to bounce to another to fill empty space?
Jack Spicer Aug 22nd 2009 5:39PM
At first this sounds like an incredible idea. I love pugging instances, so giving me more opportunities to so is great.
Then I realize, this is going to make your PuG horror stories even worse. I totally imagine that this feature will become the new integrated voice chat - i.e. In case of X break glass.... actually don't under any circumstances break the glass.
Paul Aug 22nd 2009 5:46PM
The "reward system" is curious.. I hope it doesn't lead to people being booted out of 5 man runs at the start when they confess to not knowing the instance. There is already enough "/w your XP" bs in LFG.
The reward bit seemed to suggest new players, so perhaps you only get a reward if someone in the group hasn't run the instance before? That would be welcome.
Clbull Aug 22nd 2009 5:52PM
1) Not a first
2) Not a good comment.
Clbull Aug 22nd 2009 5:54PM
Tbh, I was expecting Cross Realm Instances since the cross realm battlegrounds (and battlegroups) came out, and I am glad its finally coming in 3.3. Despite the issue of ninjas being able to more easily get away with stuff, this could be an excellent idea.
Is your server low on puggers? Possibly, but is your entire battlegroup low on them? Likely not.
Plus, if this solves the issue with the instance servers. I am all for it
TrueZoo Aug 22nd 2009 6:50PM
Sorry, as a player on an RP server who deals with enough nonsense, this is a HORRIBLE idea.
I do not want to have to pug with PvP players, strict gear fanatics, or others who care little about what it really means to play an RPG. Nor do I want them leading my PuG.
Why is this fantastic news? It may help fix the "instance unavailable" problem, but it may only diminish what little RP groups can do in instances.
BOTTOM LINE: I had better be able to choose which people I take and from which server. I do not want to group with lolkillz.
Kylenne Aug 22nd 2009 7:23PM
This feature is not magically removing your ability to make 5 mans with your friends, or to create (or join--there are several just on Moon Guard) an /rp channel on your realm and advertise for like minded people to pug with.
For a self-avowed RPer you're fairly lacking in imagination. It's precisely this kind of pretentious, entitlement whore More RPer Than Thou attitude that drove me off Moon Guard. The fact is, WoW is "really" about a wide variety of playstyles. /walking around the Silvermoon City bazaar in that AQ40 whore dress godmodding is only one of them. Thank God.
Gilgamesh Aug 22nd 2009 6:50PM
Can't wait to run instances with PVPers named Pwndurmom and Staburface.
TrueZoo Aug 22nd 2009 6:54PM
This.
Gilgamesh Aug 22nd 2009 6:56PM
Seriously, though I hope the list will show realm name and type of server. I've been on PVP servers, those people have e-peen issues. >.>
ragetank Aug 22nd 2009 6:59PM
Wait... didn't Blizzard say that battlegroup servers were instance wide and there weren't any realm-specific instance servers? If so, how does this solve the capacity problem? If not, why are people currently getting AICBL when there's hardly anyone in any instances on their server?
I agree that it's a cool feature, but how does it fix the problem?
Michael Sacco Aug 22nd 2009 7:01PM
There certainly ARE realm-specific instance servers -- in fact, except for Battlegrounds, those are the only kinds of instance servers that exist. They're saying that they've *created* battlegroup-wide instance servers specifically for this, on new hardware, no less.
crschmidt Aug 23rd 2009 11:45AM
Michael: No. You're confused. Instance servers are currently battlegroup wide -- you just can't *join* instances with people from other realms, because there is no UI for it.
Rage: Currently, instance servers are battlegroup wide. (This is why, in the 'upgrading instance servers' process, you're seeing entire battlegroups go down for extended maintenance.) This change does *not* improve the instance server launching problem -- instead, their continued work on upgrading the servers themselves is driving that.
However, Blizz said that by the time that 3.3 comes out, they plan to have those upgrades complete, hence the 'instance server problems will be fixed'. (In fact, they've estimated in forum posts that it will be something like 6 weeks to finish up their upgrades, I think, which is even before 3.2.2 is expected to be coming out.)
TLDR: Instance servers are battlegroup wide, this change doesn't impact server performance/availability, upgrades will be done by then, and do.
Waffulz Aug 22nd 2009 7:03PM
Mixed feelings about this:
The Good:
It'll certainly be easier to get groups, and, if you coordinate it it sounds like you might be able to play with your friends on other servers. Group leaders will also have an incentive to make sure the group finishes the instance.
The Bad:
I can foresee a lot of drama over who gets to be group leader, or, everyone trying to lead groups if the rewards are nice. I can also see group leaders getting really bitchy if someone has to leave the group for whatever reason -- never mind that your spouse is lonesome, or your kid is crying, or that the instance is taking too long and you have a date to get to, or any one of a myriad of good reasons someone would have to leave a group.
Mind you, folks leave groups all the time for bad reasons too. But, giving incentives to JUST the leader isn't going to make other members want to stay more, it's just going to make certain leaders very pissy if someone "cheats" them out of their reward.
The Ugly:
One group of people this really helps out are bad players. At endgame, unless they implement a way of keeping track of the bad players from other servers, there's less of a chance of these players getting blacklisted.
Maybe I'm weird, or mean or something, but in my endgame play I depend on blacklisting and whitelisting to help make sure my groups run well. If I run with a PuG and a player is especially good they go on the whitelist -- my friends list -- and if they're especially bad I pop them on my ignore list and never have to run with them again.
I really hope there is some way to do this cross server other than having a crazy good memory. I want to keep track of the good players vs the bad.
So far this is the only news Blizz has announced that's bugged me. I hate to QQ over this, but, I remember when battlegrounds went XR, and though the speed with which you could get a BG increased, a lot of the heart and soul of the PvP communities of various servers got drained. The quantity of BGs went up, but, IMO, the quality of BGs dropped a lot.
I don't want the same thing to happen to PvE.
(So far happy with everything else. Go go streamlining stats!)
Redpostit Aug 22nd 2009 7:33PM
Haha, we wrote almost exactly the same thing, but you beat me to it while I was writing my response :)
Good to know I'm not alone though!
nieboh Aug 22nd 2009 9:11PM
There's an addon called "Karma" or something (I don't use it, just came across it once) that basically does this for you without using your ignore or friends list. It keeps a list of everyone you've run an instance with and you can give them a "karma rating". If they're good, give them a high score, if they suck give them a low score. Then when you're forming a group you can watch out for those with low scores or seek out those with high scores.
when this change goes into effect I bet they expand the addon to keep track of cross server info as well (provided it's still being kept up). It might not be perfect, but if you're the one choosing the people it could help you be a bit more selective.
Vinicius O. E. Aug 23rd 2009 5:49AM
I do exactly the same thing. I use the mod NotesUNeed to track good any bad players... very useful.
Redpostit Aug 22nd 2009 7:07PM
One thing that annoys me slightly, although this might be just me being nostalgic, I don't like the idea of "cross server pugging"...
Why? Well, if you remember, "back in the days", battleground pvp was really personal in the sense that if you Pvped actively, you would eventually know all the battleground regulars, remember some scrubs you could stay away from, and have some sworn enemies in the opposing faction. Of course, when crossrealm bgs were introduced, this disappeared completely. It became less... personal... Sure, the qeues were shorter, but at that point bgs stopped being a social environment, and became the location of faceless gear grind.
You can probably see where I'm going with this.
When people are forced together regularly, you get a social environment. Practical as these changes may be, I feel that they are making a server feel less like a server, and just be a place where you play with the familiar or the faceless. Cliquefying the servers, you might say. Allowing people to interact less with each other, leaving them to drift further into their own little groups.
Accomplishing something with a group of people is supposed to mean something other then just gear, in my opinion. All this might be very practical, but I feel as we're all paying a terrible price for it, especially the new players.