server-queues posts

NCsoft extends a thank you to Aion players for their patience

by Seraphina Brennan Oct 16th 2009 at 1:30PM

Filed under: Fantasy, Aion, Events, in-game, News items

Remember those server queues? Yeah you do. How could you forget the glorious two-hour-plus waits to get in to play NCsoft's Aion?

Well, those times are in the past now. The Aion servers have settled down, leading to most people being able to log in immediately, even during peak hours. Queues have all but vanished, and the game is settling in for its long haul.

However, NCsoft did want to give the Aion devoted a little gift for putting up with all of the hassle. While it may not entirely make up for the time spent waiting in line, it will certainly help speed your progression -- Lodas Amulets.

These amulets, when used, will provide 20% bonus experience from monster kills for one hour. Every character has been given five of these unique items, meaning that pre-order customers will now have 10 of them, as they have already received five from their pre-order. Enjoy the weekend of adventuring!

Tags: aion, aion-the-tower-of-eternity, breaking, experience-boost, lodas-amulet, ncsoft, server-queues, server-stability, thank-you-gift

Aion gets its first State of the Game address

by Brooke Pilley Oct 4th 2009 at 10:00AM

Filed under: Fantasy, Aion, News items

It's been a little over two weeks since Aion launched and NC West Executive Producer Lance Stites just released its first State of the Game address. These kinds of announcements have become more and more frequent as new MMOs launch and they usually cover the main successes and issues within a given period. This address is no different.

Lance proudly declares Aion's "fun and polished" launch and goes on to talk about the incredible demand they've experienced. Perhaps the demand was too high because the main issue he covers in this letter revolves around the server queues players have been sitting in since launch. NC West ran the usual prelaunch calculations and even added a 25% buffer to determine the game's initial server caps but that just wasn't enough.

It doesn't help that players have been playing long and hard either. "For example, we're seeing timeframes where 60 percent or more of our players are playing at any given time. This is a significant event by any MMO standard," Stites says. To address this problem, the studio is working on offering one-time free server transfers in the near future. Check out his full letter on the official site.

Tags: aion, free-transfers, lance-stites, launch, nc-west, ncsoft, server-queues, state-of-the-game

NCsoft scrambles to reduce server queues: Private store tweaks incoming

by Brooke Pilley Sep 25th 2009 at 12:00PM

Filed under: Fantasy, Aion, Patches, News items

If one thing has marred the otherwise polished launch of Aion it is the extremely long server queues players face when trying to log in and play what they paid for. NCsoft responded a couple days ago saying that they are aware of the problem and working on solutions such as increased server caps and even opening a new server in both North America and Europe. Today they just announced a maintenance patch that addresses a major cause of their queue problem: Private stores will now have 30-minute timer to prevent them from being abused.

Private stores are a great concept. Players can set up shop anywhere in the world to sell their spare goods and make a pretty penny. Unfortunately, a feature of these stores is that they prevent you from idling out of the game. This feature really compounds the current server queue problem.

To avoid going through the queue process again, many players simply set up a private store and go AFK for hours at a time. One store we came across had this description set: "AFK at work, making you queue." This is even more evidence that MMO players will often take the path of least resistance for personal gain. Devs really need this hammered into their heads.

Tags: abuse, aion, aion-patch, exploit, maintenance, ncsoft, private-store, server-queues

NCsoft responds to Aion's server queues

by Seraphina Brennan Sep 23rd 2009 at 3:00PM

Filed under: Fantasy, Aion, Culture, Launches, MMO industry, New titles, News items

The long Aion server queues are a sticking point for many players who have been looking forward to playing these past few days. We even made a guide to help the Aion folks survive the long waits.

However, the calls against the server queues have not gone unheard. NCsoft has taken note of everyone's feelings, and they've sent us the following response to the issue of the server queues.

At NCsoft our commitment is to making the MMO player experience the best it can be. And while Aion has seen a very successful launch that has exceeded our expectations in many ways, we are aware of the longer than usual queue times that players have experienced on some of the servers. This is due to the initial rush of players that we've seen in the early days of the game's launch in Europe and North America.

Tags: aion, aion-the-tower-of-eternity, breaking, ncsoft, official-response, server-full, server-queues, wait-times