Notes

World of Warcraft Expansion Hit by Server Bugs

Server issues result in World of Warcraft expansion to be stopped by Leo Kelion Technology desk Editor



17 November 2014



World of Warcraft subscribers are experiencing crashes and lengthy waits to play after its new expansion pack became the latest video game to suffer computer server faults.



Developer Blizzard has published a series of blogs on Thursday, detailing efforts to correct the problems.



This included making servers in Europe in Europe unavailable for five hours on Saturday to upgrade the hardware.



One company watcher admitted that it was a bit surprising considering Blizzard's history.



Warlords of Draenor - which went on sale on Thursday is the fifth expansion of WoW's fantasy role-playing game that has been around for 10 years. It gives players access to the new orc-controlled planet named Draenor.



"While the majority of our players are able to play, we're sorry that many are stuck before they're admitted because of a combination of demand and the mitigating steps we've taken," a spokesperson for Blizzard spoke to the BBC.



"We have been working round-the-clock to upgrade the hardware and implement additional software solutions to cut down on the amount of queues we have to go through queues, and we have noticed a significant improvement."



Other titles currently experiencing server issues include Microsoft's sci fi shooter Halo: The Master Chief Collection. This title also was available on sale last Wednesday.



The company that developed it, 343 Industries, has admitted to "frustrating" bugs in its Matchmaking system, which connects players together over the internet to battle in multiplayer. As a result, 343 Industries has delayed the launch of an associated esports league.



A Microsoft spokesperson said to BBC that they are working around the all hours with the Xbox Live team to improve the situation.



"This is our main priority. We will keep everyone up to date via Halo Waypoint."



Sony's multiplayer racing game Driveclub continues to experience connectivity issues more than a month after it went on sale. Evolution, the company behind the game announced on Friday it would be giving away content in exchange for compensation.



"If you release an item for sale it's expected that it will work as it is basic retail etiquette" commented James Batchelor, editor of games industry magazine Develop.



"I don’t believe [server problemscan impact sales on day one, however it could hurt the reputation of a publisher.



"EA continues to carry this kind of stigma following Sim City, which was just over a year ago because it took it so long to get that game to work."



Crashes and delays



Problems with the WoW update were made worse by a distributed Denial of Services (DDoS), which flooded Blizzard's servers last week with internet traffic.



However, the American-based company admits to having had issues with unexpectedly high levels in the number of people trying to log in.



Common complaints are "realms being offline" or long queues to join one.



Realms are different versions of WoW's fantasy world, each one containing the same content but different characters. Each one is hosted by a distinct group of servers.



Nine of the 266 realms in the game were not functioning at the time of writing. 24 were "full" at the time.



Blizzard claimed that to increase stability it had cut the number of players that could be active in the realms simultaneously, causing log-in delays.



Other problems are:



"Player not found" error messages, which prevent players from connecting to the game



Access to dungeons restricted



Characters get stuck while using Garrison zones - A new feature that allows users to build a fortress and manage their operations.



In-game lag: Some actions in areas that are crowded are delayed, and some enemies attack early.



Blizzard said a number of hardware and software fixes meant that it was capable of increasing the maximum number of players in each realm.



It also said that additional monitoring and testing was needed to ensure that future fixes, like adding more servers, do not cause more problems.
Datchley Is Blogging


Balance act



Despite a string of video game launches afflicted by similar issues, one expert was surprised to see World of Warcraft struggle.



Piers Harding-Rolls (head of games at IHS) said that "you would think that Blizzard to have a wealth of experience managing the workload of the numerous servers it hosts."



"It has dealt in the past with greater numbers of users."



He also said that if the main cause of the problem was a more demand than anticipated it could be a good idea when the firm is able to fix the issue fast enough.



Blizzard announced WoW had 7.4 million users in October - a drop from a high of 12 million in 2010, but a rise from August's figure of 6.8 million.



Mr Harding-Rolls added that the firm had faced a tricky "balancing act" when deciding on the amount of server infrastructure it would provide.



"When the new product is introduced to the market, you need to anticipate demand and the length of time people will use it.



It's not an exact science. You won't get the most effective results if you don't make the correct assumptions.



"And you have to do it in a commercial way, and avoid investing into infrastructure too much and then not reaping the investment you've made."



Criticised Assassin's Creed glitches



13 November 2014



Looking forward to life after Warcraft



12 November 2014



Driveclub is hit by a setback in the last minute



8 October 2014



Destiny battle tests its way to sale



9 September 2014



Related Internet Links



Blizzard Battle.net



Sony Evolution



Halo Waypoint



IHS



Develop



The BBC is not responsible for the content of external websites.


Here's my website: https://datchley.name/