Opening Server Banks in Chicago or Texas?

[Pink_Saber]

Its partially the ISP but it is also SWTOR. The DNS isn't setup properly, people who are blazing 25mb connections wont notice it for the most part.

 

You really don't know what you're talking about.

 

The DNS is set up fine, and has no effect on latency whatsoever. Even if it was wrong (and it's not), the only effect it would have would be initial connection times, and how much bandwidth you had wouldn't change that one bit.

 

In fact, if it wasn't set up properly, you wouldn't be able to connect at all. You're really starting to pull "facts" out of your behind here.

Edited February 6, 2012 by Pink_Saber

[VanorDM]

I read that as " We don't want to afford it, we are lazy"

 

Holy pointless post batman...

 

No one wants to spend money they don't need to, but if they felt there was a value in doing so, which would mean an increase on their investment and more profit, they would do so.

 

So your first part is completely wrong.

 

The second part makes even less sense then the first part.

 

Lazy means not wanting to do something... But Bioware would be paying people to do it for them, so I fail to see how that could possibly be a reason. It's not like the CEO would be the one setting up the NOC himself, so lazy is simply a foolish thing to even say.

 

Lastly, servers in the Midwest would do nothing to help me, my ping time is already so low that I'd notice no improvement if I connected to a server in the midwest.

 

Your problem is that you are in the midwest and connecting to a West cost server, of course your ping times will be worse. But as someone else pointed out, servers in the midwest wouldn't help you anyway, unless you could get your guild to relocate somehow.

[Tortoises]

Midwest gamers connect to Chicago or Texas for most games to get the best latency.

 

 

What we need are constructive ideas on how we can get a server bank in the midwest for SWTOR players.

 

 

For Midwestern SWTOR Players. Anything aside from discussion about how this can be made possible, is nothing less than a discussion about how you can further alienate midwestern gamers who don't live in hub cities.

 

 

This is quite a bit of people.

Edited February 6, 2012 by Zilrota
removed insult

[Malastare]

I don't know if its Gods sense of irony for me personally, but I fix peoples internet all day long and I have to come home and troubleshoot mine.

 

I am a senior software engineer managing hosts used by over a million customers around the world. I'm not trying to brag, but I think this puts me above the "I fix peoples internet" level of understanding. Especially when you make statements like:

 

Its partially the ISP but it is also SWTOR. The DNS isn't setup properly, people who are blazing 25mb connections wont notice it for the most part.

 

Okay...

1. Higher bandwidth service doesn't have any effect on DNS speed
   
2. DNS performance has no effect on (game) latency
   
3. Higher bandwidth connections do not (by nature) have packets that move "faster"
   
4. SWTOR doesn't use enough bandwidth to be affected by most people's bandwidth limitations
   

 

Again... you're saying things that just don't make sense.

 

But I have never had the problems with any game or twitch.tv, I watched the superbowl without a hitch earlier on nbc.com and all of it. I played WoW and I can run BF3 and all of it. But if I play SWTOR I disconnect, disconnect, disconnect.

 

I don't know where to start in the effort to explain to you why SWTOR is different than streaming video or playing some other completely unrelated game. I could say that you'd probably have crappy network performance if you connected to a BF3 server in LA, but I'm not confident that you'd be able to make sense of that.

[VanorDM]

Midwest gamers connect to Chicago or Texas for most games to get the best latency.

 

No we do not. A server farm in Chicago would not help me in the least. Quit making blanket statements that just wreaking your point and maybe, maybe people would respond more positively to you.

 

What we need are constructive ideas on how we can get a server bank in the midwest for SWTOR players.

 

First off you'd have to prove there's enough value in doing so to make it worth it.

 

I know there's no way in this world I'd switch servers at this point, for the sake of a -10ms to my ping times.

[Pink_Saber]

Midwest gamers connect to Chicago or Texas for most games to get the best latency.

 

 

 

The facts are completely against you here. You're asking for something that would make latency worse for people in your area.

 

If I were the type to sling insults at people, I'd throw yours right back at you. I also find it funny that every response from one of these people you claim connects to Texas says that they don't. You seem to be the only one foolish enough to think higher latency equals better.

 

Everything you seem to believe about this is just wrong.

Edited February 6, 2012 by Zilrota
removed reference to insult

[Malastare]

For Midwestern SWTOR Players. Anything aside from discussion about how this can be made possible, is nothing less than a discussion about how you can further alienate midwestern gamers who don't live in hub cities.

 

Translation:

 

Any further talk about how I don't even understand basic terminology used to support my argument is pointless, as it does nothing to cover the fact that I don't really have any argument at all. Please, stop pointing out my mistakes and just start agreeing with me.

 

Sorry, dude, resolution stays the same:

 

For your location, you should be using the East Coast servers, and they will be better for you than they are for people in Miami.

[HelinCarnate]

I live in the midwest in a very small town in South Dakota. East coast is 60-80ms and West coast is 70-90ms. No need to spend the money for an extra set of servers for the midwest.

[Tortoises]

I live in the midwest in a very small town in South Dakota. East coast is 60-80ms and West coast is 70-90ms. No need to spend the money for an extra set of servers for the midwest.

 

Did you get paid to say that just now?

[Tortoises]

I live in the midwest in a very small town in South Dakota. East coast is 60-80ms and West coast is 70-90ms. No need to spend the money for an extra set of servers for the midwest.

 

also the Dakotas really arent the "midwest"

 

The states I speak of are Illinois, Wisconsin, Iowa, Indiana, Missouri, Minnesota, Michigan, Kentucky

[Zirconstc]

I, for one, play on an east cost server but live in Utah. Yea you read that right. I live in Utah and play on an east coast server.

 

Why? You ask.

 

Due to most of my gamer friends being from the east coast and that is the server they have chosen.

 

So make new friends on the west coast servers.

 

I could do that I suppose. But at the sacrifice of not being able to play with my gaming connections I have been connected with for years. Some I have played with since the good ol' UO days. And of course some of the new connections I have made while playing SWtOR.

 

This is the real reason I play any MMO, for the connections I have made over the weeks/years of playing different MMO's.

Edited February 6, 2012 by Zirconstc

[Tortoises]

I, for one, play on an east cost server but live in Utah. Yea you read that right. I live in Utah and play on an east coast server.

 

Why? You ask.

 

Due to most of my gamer friends being from the east coast and that is the server they have chosen.

 

So make new friends on the west coast servers.

 

I could do that I suppose. But at the sacrifice of not being able to play with my gaming connections I have been connected with for years. Some I have played with since the good ol' UO days. And of course some of the new connections I have made while playing SWtOR.

 

This is the real reason I play any MMO, for the connections I have made over the weeks/years of playing different MMO's.

 

AND.... Bioware adding Midwest server support would make your connection a lot better!!

[Malastare]

Regardless, everything I said is true about Midwestern gamers and where we connect to, we don't connect to Virginia because connecting out East is worse latency guaranteed.

 

No. There is nothing "guaranteed" about it.

 

We connect to Chicago or Dallas.

 

I used to be a midwest gamer. Sure, I'd take a Chicago server if one existed, but the difference between Chicago and NY was negligible. In my experience, the connection to NY was better than Texas. I even had a better connection to Atlanta than Texas.

 

Those are the areas we connect to for Multiplayer games. You can ask anyone you know who games in the midwest, or anyone who does can feel free to agree with me here.

 

I regularly play games with people in the midwest. I used to live there. They most often connect to servers in the East. If Midwest servers exist, they use them, but they pick East over Midwest if they want to play with friends because the difference is insignificant.

 

And though it shouldn't need to be said: They avoid playing on West Coast servers due to the latency.

 

You have no idea what a physical network is.

 

Seriously?

 

You claimed that DNS configuration was hurting the network performance of the game.

 

And you're going to claim that I am the one without sufficient technical knowledge? Really? You can't even figure out how to use the terminology for bandwidth and latency, much less realize that the two are unrelated.

 

The topic at hand is about how Bioware would do great by introducing a Midwestern server bank instead of forcing us to connect East or West.

 

The topic is pointless. The benefits would be minimal and it would further segment the community. More to the point: It wouldn't be faster for you, as has been demonstrated several times.

 

Let's make it simple:

 

Bioware would not do great to introduce a Midwestern server farm. It would be a pointless expense that would provide miniscule, At least if they introduced a Northeast (NY) and Southeast (Atlanta) server farm, they could improve service for a significant number of customers. Improving the latency of a relatively small number of customers by a inconsequential (~20-30ms) amount is not worth the time, money, complexity and further segmentation of the player base.

 

In your case, the improvement from 200ms to 50ms would be a noticeable improvement, but the biggest cause for that improvement would be in getting you to pick a reasonable server for your location. It's not Bioware's fault that you picked the wrong coast. Again, you could see similar gains just by switching to the East Coast servers.

[Master-Nala]

Oklahoma connects to the west because it is more of a western state...

 

Maybe my geography is off, but last I checked Oklahoma was directly north of Texas, where you want to put these midwest servers.

[Tortoises]

Maybe my geography is off, but last I checked Oklahoma was directly north of Texas, where you want to put these midwest servers.

 

Aside from the argumentative Herp Derp who posted above you, I didn't say anything about how we are closer. Closer doesn't mean better.

 

 

When I install your internet, being within 100 feet of the VRAD is actually a bad thing, and we start looking for ways to put resistance on it.

 

Of course the herp derp who posted above you have absolutely no idea what the physical network is.

 

 

But I really didn't make this thread to just argue and banter with herp derps, its a thread meant to give Bioware an idea that the Midwest needs servers. Connecting East and West is bad.

[Malastare]

AND.... Bioware adding Midwest server support would make your connection a lot better!!

 

No.

 

...because his friends would still be on the West Coast server. You do understand this, right? Putting servers in the Midwest wouldn't give people in the Midwest faster access to the servers that the West Coast people are playing on. It would create a new set of servers that would primarily be inhabited by Midwest people.

 

Sadly, since the midwest doesn't have nearly the population density of the East or West Coasts, the servers would be doomed to low populations, with most people in the Midwest opting to connect to one of the Coasts, since one of the two is going to have latency that is only slightly higher and still not really noticeable.

[Tortoises]

No.

 

...because his friends would still be on the West Coast server. You do understand this, right? Putting servers in the Midwest wouldn't give people in the Midwest faster access to the servers that the West Coast people are playing on. It would create a new set of servers that would primarily be inhabited by Midwest people.

 

Sadly, since the midwest doesn't have nearly the population density of the East or West Coasts, the servers would be doomed to low populations, with most people in the Midwest opting to connect to one of the Coasts, since one of the two is going to have latency that is only slightly higher and still not really noticeable.

 

Well I don't suppose I mean "servers" as much as I mean a "hub"

[HelinCarnate]

also the Dakotas really arent the "midwest"

 

The states I speak of are Illinois, Wisconsin, Iowa, Indiana, Missouri, Minnesota, Michigan, Kentucky

 

You really need to look at a map some time. South Dakota shares a border with Minnesota and Iowa. I would benifit from a server in Chicago since it would be closer than the east coast servers. However, it is not worth the investment for BW to spend the money to give me a slightly lower ping, when 80ish is acceptable.

Edited February 6, 2012 by HelinCarnate

[HelinCarnate]

AND.... Bioware adding Midwest server support would make your connection a lot better!!

 

Not really, since his freinds would still be on the east coast servers.

[Tortoises]

You really need to look at a map some time. South Dakota shares a border with Minnesota and Iowa. I would benifit from a server in Chicago since it would be closer than the east coast servers. However, it is not worth the investment for BW to spend the money to give me a slightly lower ping, when 80ish is acceptable.

 

South Dakota and North Dakota are not considered to be the "Midwest"

 

You shouldnt try and argue this stuff to someone who lives in Midwest. I know what my Region is.

[VanorDM]

Connecting East and West is bad.

 

No it is not.

 

I get a 50ms ping time on a east coast server. The best I could possibly hope for is maybe a 35-40ms ping time to somewhere in the Midwest.

 

10-15ms difference is not noticeable, and would have no value.

 

Plus and this is most important... Adding in midwest servers now would only mean the creation of brand new servers. Something most people don't want because they are not going to leave their friends and guild on the existing servers to move to a different one for no real increase in performance.

 

I do not understand how this can be so hard for you to get.

 

What you want will add zero value to the game as it currently exists. The minor improvement in ping times is not worth the cost, and increased fracture in the current player base.

 

How exactly a network functions is completely meaningless compared to the above fact.

[HelinCarnate]

South Dakota and North Dakota are not considered to be the "Midwest"

 

You shouldnt try and argue this stuff to someone who lives in Midwest. I know what my Region is.

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Midwestern_United_States

 

btw, The Dakotas are part of the midwest. More proof that you have no idea what you are talking about.

[Tortoises]

No it is not.

 

 

I do not understand how this can be so hard for you to get.

 

.

 

Exactly, I do not understand why this is so hard.

 

 

I said earlier that people in the city with Comcast or AT&T are going to blast through the rates with 25 mb connections, guess what, most of the MIDWEST does not have those connection speeds to not notice it.

 

Most of us have much lower connection speeds. We do not share information properly to Virginia or California as we would if we had a Chicago or Dallas Hub, or better yet, BOTH!

 

 

Anyone arguing against this is lazy and doesn't want Bioware to succeed. Almost every single Multiplayer game has a major Dallas AND Chicago hub servers as well as their east and west coast.

 

 

Anyone arguing against it either has an agenda or is a lazy fool. It will only help us gamers.

[VanorDM]

South Dakota and North Dakota are not considered to be the "Midwest"

 

Actually both the Dakotas are considered part of the Midwest. Acording to the US Census, run by the Federal Government, the Dakotas are part of the Midwest.

[Malastare]

Of course the herp derp who posted above you have absolutely no idea what the physical network is.

 

First, childish insults don't really help your argument. If you can't actually support your argument and defend it without resulting to personal attacks, then Bioware shouldn't listen to it.

 

Second: Pointless minutiae about the physical layer is irrelevant. I guarantee you that the big trunk lines from the Midwest to the East Coast aren't plagued by crosstalk. More toe the point: SWTOR doesn't care what physical layer it runs on, and you should know enough to understand that. All it cares about are packet transit times, and it doesn't even care all that much about those.

 

So give up on the physical network. That's not where SWTOR lives, and latency analysis should focus on network/transport layers.

 

But I really didn't make this thread to just argue and banter with herp derps, its a thread meant to give Bioware an idea that the Midwest needs servers. Connecting East and West is bad.

 

But the idea is a bad idea, especially since you still haven't managed to actually provide an argument why it would be worth while, or even acknowledged that your bad network performance is because you (apparently) selected the wrong coast to connect to.