Multi-server tech

francis_baud

"Multi-server tech – This is a really cool and quite powerful bit of tech that allows us to have totally separate physical Servers that can communicate seamlessly with each other. We’re showing it via “Island hopping” but it will also be used to allow players to fight between servers (invisible connections that players never notice) or even Servers (think of the original Westworld but with the Old West engaging with the Romans) if we should ever choose to have something as silly and fun and that."

(Below is my understanding of the server technology that CSE is currently developing, so there may be inaccuracies)



Gameplay implications:
 -  No loading screen - truly seamless, gigantic RvR map
 -  No impassable terrains between zones* - players can travel freely across the map
 -  Players can move islands and form new continents
 -  Players can build bridges between close islands
 -  Players from  island 1  can see players & structures from  island 2
 -  Players from  island 1  can attack players & structures from  island 2
 -  Projectiles from  island 1  can collide and interact with projectiles from  island 2



Potential gameplay implications (future CSE games??)
 -  Players from  shard 1  could interact with players from  shard 2
 -  Projectiles could be fired across the map
 -  Players could fly, run or navigate across the whole map freely
 -  Single-shard architecture

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*I've read a few messages mentioning how World of Warcraft implemented the seamless zone transition by removing loading screens in the recent years. Blizzard indeed made a step ahead to get a more seamless and connected map, however considering that the zones are surrounded by impassable terrain - often mountains - a player located in a certain zone can not interact with a player from another zone, unless they're both walking on the road that connects those two zones together.




If CSE's multi-server was used in that game, it could look more like this:


Traveling freely between zones, seeing players from other areas and firing projectiles afar.



Three regions of a single map handled by different servers across the globe.



Dynamic map - islands moving based on players' actions.

cameltosis

The tech is certainly very interesting. I'm still curious as to how players will be able to move islands to create large continents. It sort of sounds like it might be automatic - once you've captured an island, it automatically moves to your continent. But, I'm kinda hoping there is some sort of control so we can create weird continents :-)

collekt

cameltosis said:

The tech is certainly very interesting. I'm still curious as to how players will be able to move islands to create large continents. It sort of sounds like it might be automatic - once you've captured an island, it automatically moves to your continent. But, I'm kinda hoping there is some sort of control so we can create weird continents :-)

Hmm so you want to make weird shaped continents? Are you planning on making the republic of penis? Don't lie...

postlarval

The first map looks like a biohazard symbol run through a distortion filter in Photoshop.

meddyck

The small s servers can even be smaller than an entire island. I.e. a very large island could be broken into several servers which players would cross between seamlessly. So island 1 could consist of servers A, B, and C while island 2 contains server D and E.