International Server Merge

    • General

    • International Server Merge

      Hi guys

      I'll start saying I'm not sure the term I used (merge) is correct. In Italy, we call them "fusions" referring to the act of merging two or more servers into one.
      Well, you know how merge/fusions work, so I don't have to explain that.

      What I have to explain, instead, is the idea of the International Merge/Fusions:

      They work exactly the same as normal merge/fusions, but the servers to merge come from different countries.
      There are some minor things to implement to improve the experience (like a flag to indicate the country of a player, so that people can know who they are talking with), but that's all.

      I already suggested this once, about 2-3 years ago, but nobody took it seriously. Now we have to do that, and you know why ? Cause the old fashioned merge/fusion system is failing.
      In Italy, I play on Nekkar and our top1 has more than 1bn points. That's why Nekkar is not on the list of the outcoming fusion/merges.

      But Nekkar does need new players: there are just a few of us still playing (usually there are no more than 20 people online) and that's sad ... sad and boring. We need fusions but there are no servers in italy that can be merged with Nekkar.
      I knew this would have happened sooner or later, that's why i suggested this idea 2-3 years ago ... I was ignored then, but now we can no longer delay the argument. Ogame.it needs internation fusions to stay alive.

    • Hi, I'm an ogame former player too.
      I think it's a great idea but not easy to do in pratice.

      I don't know the network structure used for ogame servers but, considering the launch time, I suppose it was made by physically dislocated servers on different geographical locations executing instances of the game.
      What you propose would be feasible in a cloud environment in a blink of an eye (even if this blink would be quite expensive).

      Unifying multiple instances in a single one, not considering data collision problem due to database merge, can produce significant latencies in connections and considering the nature of the game, timing is very important. This is one of many bottlenecks that came on my mind.

      BTW this is only my opinion... maybe someone with more information about it could deny what I'm saying.

      T.84

    • Twister84 wrote:

      Hi, I'm an ogame former player too.
      I think it's a great idea but not easy to do in pratice.

      I don't know the network structure used for ogame servers but, considering the launch time, I suppose it was made by physically dislocated servers on different geographical locations executing instances of the game.
      What you propose would be feasible in a cloud environment in a blink of an eye (even if this blink would be quite expensive).

      Unifying multiple instances in a single one, not considering data collision problem due to database merge, can produce significant latencies in connections and considering the nature of the game, timing is very important. This is one of many bottlenecks that came on my mind.

      BTW this is only my opinion... maybe someone with more information about it could deny what I'm saying.

      T.84
      Of course it would be needed to pay attention on how to do it, but the problema is not more complicated than the one coming from the merging of national servers.
      Its the same, just bigger.

      About latency in connections, I don't think that would happen: I know some people of italian community have played on swedish servers, and they didn't had any problem.
      But, even so, even if it isn't possible right now, well, we could at least prepare for it: converting the environment in a "cloud system", starting surveys about people preferences and opinions, implementing minor features (like the flags) and collecting ideas on the matter.

      I don't pretend it to be done tomorrow, but we could start talking about it.
      I think that, like italian community, there are many others with the same problem: helping each others thruough "internation fusions" is nothing but logical.

    • Guys the point is that we are not going to have this unless ALL of us want it.
      In Italy, every player wants it, but none of our ideas reach the devs.

      If you want this feature, if you really want it, tell your friends to come here and say it.
      People at GF and mods on national forums don't give a f**k of the idea of a single man. We must be more than 3 people.