Jump to content
  • Sign Up

About the new EU World Links (6/27/2019)


Recommended Posts

  • ArenaNet Staff

Hi folks!

With this set of EU links, we have decided to remove language restrictions. As we’ve mentioned before, we’re gathering data as we prepare for World Restructuring. The core reason for this particular change is to allow us to create much fairer links. We looked at this world linking and compared it to past ones, and we would like to share a few data points on how links have been improved:

  • The difference in play hours between the largest and smallest link has decreased by 37% from last linking.
  • The standard deviation on play hours between links has decreased by 39% from the last linking. This means that on average, links are much closer in play hours than before.

Our hope is that by creating fairer world links, we’ll see much more fun match-ups. We are aware of the potential negatives of this change and we will keep an eye on the community adjusting to this, so keep giving us your feedback on this forum thread.

Here are the worlds for EU:

  • Abaddon's Mouth (DE), Ruins of Surmia (EN)
  • Augury Rock (FR), Vizunah Square (FR)
  • Aurora Glade (EN), Riverside (DE)
  • Baruch Bay (SP)
  • Desolation (EN), Blacktide (EN)
  • Drakkar Lake (DE), Vabbi (EN)
  • Elona Reach (DE), Fort Ranik (FR)
  • Gandara (EN), Fissure of Woe (EN)
  • Gunnar's Hold (EN), Dzagonur (DE)
  • Jade Sea (FR), Miller's Sound (DE)
  • Kodash (DE)
  • Piken Square (EN)
  • Seafarer's Rest (EN), Ring of Fire (EN)
  • Underworld (EN), Far Shiverpeaks (EN)
  • Whiteside Ridge (EN), Arborstone (FR)

Here are the worlds for NA:

  • Blackgate, Kaineng
  • Borlis Pass, Henge of Denravi
  • Crystal Desert, Stormbluff Isle
  • Dragonbrand, Eredon Terrace
  • Ferguson's Crossing, Jade Quarry
  • Fort Aspenwood, Devona's Rest
  • Maguuma, Anvil Rock
  • Northern Shiverpeaks, Ehmry Bay
  • Sea of Sorrows, Gate of Madness
  • Sorrow's Furnace, Darkhaven
  • Tarnished Coast, Isle of Janthir
  • Yak's Bend, Sanctum of Rall
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Replies 170
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

we have decided to remove language restrictionsOr to (ahem) translate that into player terms: for this match up, ANet is using the same formulas to match up EU worlds as they always have done with NA: just look at WvW hours. They did not consider the world's preference for French, German or Spanish. (The "restriction" was on the algorithm, not on the player.)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Very happy to see the language restrictions removed. Happy also to see the lower standard deviations, but I cannot help but think that "play hours" is a misleading or wrong metric. Please convince me.

Yet again, Kodash has no link (a long-standing complaint from them). And now, Piken does not either. Bigger servers like WSR and SFR and Deso have links. Not going to argue from the fairness perspective, but I am going to question the numbers and the analysis. Please give us some real transparency on this by showing the numbers on each server before and after today's relinks.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

@"Malfrador.3615" said:I get why Piken has no Link, but Kodash? Hard stuck in the last tier since weeks, no queueduring the whole week and only one map queue on reset. Feels like there is something still wrong with your numbers as well as the "Full" status.

I dont understand it either, how can Kodash be full and still can only have one map filled with people, and sometimes not even that. How are these Full/High calculations done?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Desolation , Gandara, Seafarer's Rest are all Full / T1 and still got a link , yet Kodash stuck in T5 and full doesnt get a link , while the other full german server who was stuck in T5 gets a link . Where is the logic in that ?Sounds like Anet is still mad about Kodash striking and forcefully opening the server back in the day .

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I wonder how they calculate the status of a server, just take a look at Sorrow's Furnace, Darkhaven we will have another Kaineg again , ok i will explain, one month and a half ago,we had a massive amounth of players tranfered to SF, 2 weeks later they transferred again. now they are at Sea of ​​Sorrow, and SoS has just a very high status(how the hell they just have a very high status with a large amount of wvw guilds there), just take a look how BG is getting banged for them.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Considering you asked for feedback I'll give my observations (apologies for this being server specific but I think that is an important distinction): Play hours are a skewed metric unless we consider the timing of those hours. I'm on Yak's Bend. Which has been Full and closed since the week of the last relink. We've lost guilds, coverage and have enormous gaps. SoR is a fine link with many great players. That doesn't change that both servers have the heaviest play time during the exact same section of hours. Vastly outnumbered during critical time frames. Yes, there are people still flipping camps and taking T1 towers. Soaking up activity, putting some points on the board. Never enough to take down T3 structures in order to create a competitive matchup.

Really at the end of the conversation this comes back to balanced matches. At least 50% of the pairs listed above have coverage gaps. I guarantee guilds will be moving based on this post. Meaning, come reset time tonight the populations will have already swung into different directions. I counted my guild today. I've got 114 players who haven't been online in over a month. Over 60 who haven't played in six months. Many of the latter were die hard WvW players and big supporters of the game. I understand that this is very hard to balance just using raw data. I just have to imagine that plotting out raw activity (kills combined with deaths) should show a number that could be plotted out by time zone, then extrapolated into into whom is paired with whom. I can see there is logic listed above but it doesn't match what many of us see in game. I'm not sure how precisely that can be.

The "Full" servers listed currently in the game aren't even remotely even in terms of activity. I think looking at this from a macro level of seeing when the largest hours of play occur would be incredibly beneficial. Just some thoughts. I'm hoping we can get more people chiming in today before reset tonight.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

[moderator edit]

The calculations used for choosing the actual "links without fronters" have no sense. FOUR servers with full population (agreed Anet) have links without reason, TWO servers that been alone for months (one of then, even since beginning) are still alone (and without the supposed coverage that should have for staying like this, tbh).

Maybe it's time (just an idea) for reconsidering if those calculations should be... changed?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

@Fatherbliss.4701 said:Considering you asked for feedbackThey are mostly interested in EU, since this week represents a massive change in some people's expectations. For NA, it's business as usual, I'm afraid.

@Fatherbliss.4701 said:The "Full" servers listed currently in the game aren't even remotely even in terms of activity."Full" is a jargon word meaning "closed, because it's over-represented compared to the other worlds+links at the time of linking."It originally did mean full; ANet never got around to changing it.

@Fatherbliss.4701 said:Vastly outnumbered during critical time frames.It's nearly impossible to tell how outnumbered a world is, from any single player perspective, or even any dozen or three players comparing notes. It's also difficult to tell whether that's a result of actual numbers or something that happened. A certain world that @Fatherbliss.4701 happens to know well used to have comparatively no pop any time there was a new story or festival, while its opponents has closer to their usual numbers. It would have been a mistake to set the matches for that 1-2 week period, when the links last two months. Likewise, sometimes people decide to opt out against playing certain guilds or certain worlds. That's not something that ANet's algorithms can take into account.

Linkages have all sorts of issues, including delivering unexpected and poor matchups at times. There's no easy way to fix that based on the current model of 24-27 worlds, with near-static populations, bandwagoning, and six-relinks/year.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

@Forbidden Virtue.1089 said:Fair links? Blacktide is a dead server.. Where do you guys keep getting this nonsense? #ArenanetTrollingTheWvWCommunityAGAIN

Deso is not a dead server though, it's one of the highest populated one. If you want to complain look at Aurora Glade, that is not a full server being a host and having a terrible link. And Piken/KOdash got nothing...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Can we open up the damn servers that been closed for ever some even not being full. I mean people want to move to their friends and guilds and have to pay for moving to the link they were on to stay with their people for several link periods now. You could start to wonder if this is made so that you get more money through the jumping of links. No server should be closed for so long as they have now.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

@hunkamania.7561 said:

@SkyShroud.2865 said:Looks reasonable (for NA), let's see how the bandwagoning will screw it up.

LOL of course relinks are fine when you're on the stacked server haha. I guess that only applies to the other servers.

Oh, didn't know BP was bandwagoned. I don't really keep track of it anymore. I got numbed.So, who bandwagoned to BP?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...