Ryzom

If there was a server merge right off, I'ld want a detailed truthful explanation of why.
Not an explanation of what someone wants me to believe.
I'ld continue playing Ryzom but I'ld consider it a very bad sign unless of course the explanation was very persuasive and not something I've considered.

Personally I don't care. A server merge may motivate me to brush up on my German and French and after a few months I could be a translator person, sounds like fun.

But for Ryzom as a whole I think a server merge would be bad idea. I've seen two merges now and every merge some people leave, and more people are annoyed and that much closer to leaving. And merging the servers is not exactly the best way to express optimism about Ryzom's future.

The only situation where a server merge seems like a good move is if the new owner's plan is to forget about trying to increase Ryzom's playerbase, and just cut costs to a minimum and see how long they can keep it going with the current number of subscriptions. But I was under the impression the current number of subscriptions wasn't enough to pay for even one server.

boinged wrote:It's not worse than having separate servers where there is no way to communicate across them At least this way there is the option for a German-speaker to speak in the French channel etc.

It would be awesome to have some easy way to communicate between servers. Unlikely, though, sadly

The issue is that communication is necessary for a functioning community... the loners and the soloers could do absolutely fine, but the politics would be wrecked - for the reasons I stated in my first post, won't put the broken record on.

This is assuming that the merge would be "an option to consider" and not something that is constrained by cost reasons...In short, I would rather say "it's gonna be complicated..." but, at the end doable. Personally, I am rather against, for the reasons below, but, I could also get used to it (I speak french and basic german) if need be...

- As Sasi said, do not assume "Amerikin speek lanwidges other then they're own...", but I would go further than that and, despite english being more or less a common language, a notable part of the FR/ES/DE/IT/... population do not speak it well and are unable to form complex sentences. Basically they are "unconfortable" with it.... Do not even mention "Role Playing" in a foreign language...

- Timezones are also a pain (minimized in this case, but still present). This required that the CSR team had to "play" live events twice, in two different timezones. Now add the problem of the language: a) "Woot did Dexton say???" "Il a dit j'sais pas koi qu'il faut aller tuer les mechants rois mais il'zont balaises ces rois la!"

--> Tidings: "Emperor Dexton will be giving a speech to his loyal Fyrosian people at 6:00 PM EST in French for canadian, at 10:00 PM GMT for Brits in English, at 16:00 Pacific en English for those Texans and 18:00 GMT+1 in German for them Germans..."

- Although it was more or less "within the scope of what Nevrax wanted" shards were given some slack from "improvisation" with regard to events and lore evolution. Shards were also (supposedly) in control of their own fate (to date, the only meaningful thing would be different built temples, and a few secondary story arcs). This would be a step back in this marketing aspect...

- You need basically 3 times more guides: "uhm, someone is up for cover? I'm covering but there is this 'Achtung Kipesta Beckenbauer' ticket. We need someone speaking german"

- Misunderstandings: << I'm reporting you to the GM because not only you ganked me but then you insulted me saying "Je suis vraiment navrée, je voulais tuer le kitin, mais je me suis trompée d'action, mille excuses..." navrée your mommaa!>>

- Other things like guilds, outpost ownership... A reset would be almost mandatory.

In short, it's been done before, but sharing a common language simplified the thing.. Of course, if it had to be done.... it could even be funny as in FBT (we did have all the communities sharing a shard) *but* it would be a great idea to (if a wipe is also considered) to associate a community to a race, to make things easier... the other option, as the VCA suggested, make it english and "sorry", but that would be a mistake, imho...

Yours,
Ani

whiterider wrote:Eek, that'd be even worse. What's the point of having the best MMO community in the world if you remove the communication?

You don't remove the communication, you just allow several channels. In case of a merger this way you allow people to feel more at home. If you force someone to speak a language he isn't proficient in, they surely will leave over short or long.
Forcing a language barrier will alienate players. I remember during my early days on Atys that I frequently was forced by my guildies to ask any arising question in English, which wasn't easy for me either, but it looked like I was the person with the second best English language skill in the guild. I am pretty sure that some of my early guildies left, because of communication issues.

And when I remember correctly the different language channels worked fine on Tabula Rasa.

I voted the last option ..... leave me alone etc.

I only speak english and have teamed with lots of different nationalities in lots of MMO's, you always manage to get your point across easily enough, the game isn't rocket science.

WoW servers can have serveral different languages, even on "english" servers also having much larger populations to contend with and no problems.

Merge or dont, I couldn't care less, just open a server/servers.

If there is a server merge, my bet is that it would be the Portuguese server GF promised.

It would be awkward for outpost ownership, but that's a technical issue which, if overcome, would cease to exist.

It would be very awkward for politics, however, and that's an issue that can't be solved unless every guild finds itself a fluent translator who is active enough to be available at least once every 24 hours. Furthermore, that must be either one translator fluent in English, French, and German, or two+, each of whom are fluent in two of the languages.

There are also roleplaying concerns, but if there's an official RP explanation provided (which carries the global weight preferable over a gaggle of various player explanations that amount to "Chinese whispers" between guilds, languages, and other social groups), then the bulk of those issues dissolve into an interesting challenge and a character development stimulant. On a Ryzom RP forum there is already cross-server RP that simply ignores the issue entirely, but it only involves a few people; that explanation or lack thereof couldn't work for a whole triserver.

...I vote "don't care." As explicated above, there are issues, but if those were solved to the greatest extents reasonably possible, I would look at a mergence as pleasantly exciting on several fronts.

Well, I do believe it would be quite difficult for language reasons, obviously. On the German server, for example, not everyone is able to speak English at all; those raised in the Eastern part of the country before we became one county again would feel more comfortable in Russian, I'd guess, for that's the language they were taught at school. Also, learning language at school is only rudimentary in it's effect, I think. I did not learn the bit of English I manage to produce by school lessons but by a weird taste for Ye Olde British Horror Cinema, of which I could not get all movies I desired in dubbed versions.

The other thing would, indeed, be ingame politics. Leanon, for example, was the only server which was so dominated by agressive Kamists that we got three Ma-Duk Sanctuaries, but only Matia was blessed by a Jena Temple. That definitely shaped our shard. It fired a great neutralist movement as well. I guess nothing would be changed on Arispotle by this, as it is the largest server by far, but it would take a long time until we would get used to your ways, and obviously we are, as a German community, probably too small to take part in the shaping of the world. I have to confess in a bit of vanity and pettiness as well in this, for we - the Argo Navis - worked hard, and for a long time, to become the Order we became through our uncompromising roleplay, and I might say that while we are a small Order we're both well known and respected on Leanon, while on Arispotle we would probably be mosty known as the mad Germans who can't even "speak" proper English ...

Finally (and yes, lots of vanity again, and arrogance *g*) I'm rather proud of my skills in the use of my mother tongue, which I can use in the way a Matis ideally should be able to. But that tongue would be made of clay instead of silver and steel when bound to another language. So it is clear I did vote for "no", isn't it?

i cant vote :O one way it is nice to have all people on one shard i know people from aniro or from leanon but language gonna be a big cookie so i will sit this one out but i wouldnt mind if it happend or didnt happen