Even though the main theme in this topic is the communication issue (talking English in public), the discussion, beneath the surface, contains also the more general fear of overcrowding. This fear is articulated by many in the symbol of the "Chinese player". This is of course a simplification, its the need for getting a simple answer and direct enemy for a more complex problem with no visible enemy.
Don't get me wrong here. I too want to have the communication on this server to be in English, and i too fear, that a mass of new Chinese players could endanger this common agreement. But i think this problem can be somewhat managed and i think the Nostalrious-Team is on the right way without falling into extremes.
The more profound problem, that, up to this point, wasn't addressed adequately by the Nost-Team, is Overcrowding. And because here potentially everyone is part of the problem, there is no simple way of finding the "trouble maker". So the new Mass of Chinese players, as stated above, is pushed into this role.
With this i want to emphasize, that some if not most people in this topic articulate the imminent problem of Overcrowding through a scapegoat, and i hope, that the Server-Team can see through it, can see the true roots of the problem.
But what could be a solution for Overcrowding?
1. As we have seen before, a new server itself simply is not the answer (even though some here pray it up and down without further explanation).
Why's that? I think the missing switch of many players to the new server wasn't only because most players wanted to stay on a PVP-Realm, but also, because they did not want to drop their hard earned characters. Also a majority of the Chinese players came to the PVP-Realm, not the PVE-Realm, even though the PVP-one already was way overcrowded before they showed up. This is not a genuine chinese behavior. It's simply how masses work. Many new players will get attracted by the big player-numbers Nost. can provide. That's how it always works in the private-server-community.
2. The demand for an IP-Ban or Client-Lock is simply the manifestation of the already mentioned "Scapegoat-Method". It's also discriminating (even though i can understand the real fears of most of the people, that demand it). It won't solve anything, maybe only delay the problems, as the roots stay untouched.
4. A Queue-System, if it has the "right cap" (this need to be discussed), could simply remove all the Overcrowding-Problems already in play, and also effectively prevent the even bigger ones to come. It's also in no way discriminating, because it treats all players equal. The really big downside though - it will be punch to the face for everyone, that has spent many hours investing into his character and now has to wait an hour or more to enter the game. So the more drastically the "cap" will be, the more it will stir up the player base, the more this could endanger the reputation of the Server. One way to cushion the impact could be to combine a population cap with the possibility to switch on a new PVP-realm with their characters intact.
But this would be an extreme administrative effort and i doubt (though i would welcome it), that the Server-Team can and want to handle it.
But one thing is crucial! -> The sooner a cap is installed, the better it can balance the population of a server without hurting too many people. To give a simple example: If the Team would cap the population at 10 000 now, it would not hurt the community all to much (probably not at all). It also would prevent, that too many new players would join an already full server. Any more people joining the Nost-Community would need to be treated with a new server or simply be neglected (to be honest - every Team has a maximum player-base it can handle -> the only thing that grows forever is cancer ... pathetic joke, check!). The downside though - the current problems with overcrowding would stay. But at least it would prevent the problems to get even bigger.
I think the only way to address the problem (not even to solve it completely - "the child already fell into the well", old German saying) is a population cap, maybe cushioned (if the cap is radical) with a possible alternate Realm. The Team already waited really long to install it. If they continue to wait, it will make matters worse and further reduce the chance of a useful installation of a cap.
As for the intentions of the Team i can only guess. Probably they too can see most of the problems and because of their insight can even better understand the impacts of their decisions. And they have as perfect example the official game with its population caps and a supply of new realms if the player base grows.
Maybe they already gone that road to afar to turn back now, or maybe they are even intoxicated by the rapid and ongoing success and recognition of an ever-growing project (
).
(Sorry for some bad formulations, no native tongue.)
