Thelanis now default server?

[AstorPotamus]

Judging from the server list on the game launcher, it appears that Orien is no longer the default server, with that dubious honor falling upon Thelanis.

Can anybody confirm this?

[FranOhmsford]

Yep Thelanis is coming up second on my list behind the server I've just been on each time.

Thelanis has the default and it's about time too - Thelanis has needed new blood for many years!

Let's hope Thelanisians are as welcoming to those newcomers as Ghallandans, Sarlonans, Orienites and Cannithites have been

And hopefully Khyber finally gets the default after Thelanis

[Cordovan]

Yup, this was done today.

[FuzzyDuck81]

I wonder if this was standard scheduled rotation, or also in keeping thematically with the forthcoming feywild stuff?

[TitusOvid]

I wish you all good luck with worse lag than before.

Cheers,
Titus.

[droid327]

Let's hope Thelanisians are as welcoming to those newcomers as Ghallandans, Sarlonans, Orienites and Cannithites have been

And hopefully Khyber finally gets the default after Thelanis

I'm pretty sure the proper demonyms are Thelanians, Orini, and Canns

[Grandern_Marn]

Good luck with the default server Thelanis!

Orien numbers have been off the chart in recent weeks with lots of new players about. Anecdotal counts of people visibly online at the same time peaked at about 500 two years ago when Orien had the default servers last. This time around, peak numbers have doubled to about 1000 or so. These days you can tell when player numbers are coming close to peak as the lag will set in...

With 3 weeks more of all quests free to play and performance streamline fixes coming up I predict things will return to normal. Make the most of it however! This is like catching a drink from a firehouse.

A big part to bringing new blood to your server is up the veteran meeting the new player. If you meet someone new, stop. Help them out, maybe pass them an item that is tough for them to find but you have plenty of. It will make their day and you may have a new player on your server.

We all know DDO is not the biggest game out there, each new player you help with their experience counts that much more.

[C-Dog]

Let's hope Thelanisians are as welcoming to those newcomers as Ghallandans, Sarlonans, Orienites and Cannithites have been

Thelans/Thelasans/Thelenisans/Thelanasins
Thelanians/Thelaniains
Thelanese/Thelanois
Thelanites/Thelanisite
Thelicans/Thelicains
Thelasicans/Thelecanos

..but never Thelanisians.

Viva Thelanis!!! <rides off on a fiery horse, firing pistols into the air>

[Tist]

I wonder if this was standard scheduled rotation, or also in keeping thematically with the forthcoming feywild stuff?

It's cos Orien caught the lockdown players AND f2p/newbies/returners and is rammed. Gotta spread the love around, one server can't cope with all that without prior capactiy planning in place.

[AstorPotamus]

I’m glad SSG is spreading the love around, cuz it was getting crazy laggy in Orien’s harbor.

That said, it seems Wayfinder always has (by far) the smallest server population at any given moment, so why don’t they get some needed love?

[Loromir]

I’m glad SSG is spreading the love around, cuz it was getting crazy laggy in Orien’s harbor.

That said, it seems Wayfinder always has (by far) the smallest server population at any given moment, so why don’t they get some needed love?

Because they don't want new players coming in and seeing a dead world. That might just scare them off.

[MaeveTuohy]

Thelans/Thelasans/Thelenisans/Thelanasins
Thelanians/Thelaniains
Thelanese/Thelanois
Thelanites/Thelanisite
Thelicans/Thelicains
Thelasicans/Thelecanos

..but never Thelanisians.

Viva Thelanis!!! <rides off on a fiery horse, firing pistols into the air>

I think you'll find it's Thelweigians.

[C-Dog]

That said, it seems Wayfinder always has (by far) the smallest server population at any given moment, so why don’t they get some needed love?

This is accepted, Wayfinder is undeniably the smallest. And I hate to say it, but I think the powers that be have abandoned it to those who seek peace and quiet - and for that, it serves in spades.

[bonscott87]

Nice! I look forward to a more active auction house if anything.

[droid327]

I think you'll find it's Thelweigians.

Thulcovites?

[Cordovan]

I’m glad SSG is spreading the love around, cuz it was getting crazy laggy in Orien’s harbor.

That said, it seems Wayfinder always has (by far) the smallest server population at any given moment, so why don’t they get some needed love?

We very seriously considered making Wayfinder the recommended world this time around, but there is a piece of the hardware environment that is somewhat scaled to Wayfinder's lower populations, so making it the default world could have had serious repercussions, and reconfiguring the hardware environment wasn't time-feasible given our other priorities (game performance issues, getting Update 46 ready).

[Gniewomir]

We very seriously considered making Wayfinder the recommended world this time around, but there is a piece of the hardware environment that is somewhat scaled to Wayfinder's lower populations, so making it the default world could have had serious repercussions, and reconfiguring the hardware environment wasn't time-feasible given our other priorities (game performance issues, getting Update 46 ready).

So you're seriously considering that the first thing new players should see is server with average 30-50 players online?

Are you trying to make sure there'll be no single new player in ddo?

[Natashaelle]

So you're seriously considering that the first thing new players should see is server with average 30-50 players online?

Are you trying to make sure there'll be no single new player in ddo?

As far as I understand the standard politic, the default server is intended to be the one with the fewest active players, as a means to help increase the population of that server.

& AFAIK the politic does actually work to a degree, though I am not of course privy to the internal SSG analytic.

[Cordovan]

So you're seriously considering that the first thing new players should see is server with average 30-50 players online?

Are you trying to make sure there'll be no single new player in ddo?

You clearly state the reason it has not been done to this point, although the actual population is higher than that. However, yes, given the large increase we have seen on Orien, making Wayfinder the recommended world for a few weeks had the potential to bring the population much closer to the rest of our worlds.

[Gniewomir]

You clearly state the reason it has not been done to this point, although the actual population is higher than that. However, yes, given the large increase we have seen on Orien, making Wayfinder the recommended world for a few weeks had the potential to bring the population much closer to the rest of our worlds.

Changing default server might work as a tool to balance, i agree. If on one server you got 1000 players online (and im 100% sure there's no server in ddo that reaches 1000 players at peak hours) and other got 1500 players - yeah, it will work. But wayfinder is far from being such server. Right now it's almost ghost town. You throw new players on wayfinder and it won't increase its population. They'll log in, evaluate population, think "oh, it's a dead game, lets not waste time and bother giving it a try" and then they unistall ddo.

I've got no idea if SSG is doing any research about the reasons why players stop playing ddo. I've got no idea if ssg do any market reasearch. I can only speak for myself, but like 3 years ago i was looking for new players for my guild. I found most popular mmo games forum in my country, i convinced like 20 people to give ddo a try. All of them left in less than 5 days. Almost everyone said the same: noone to play with, game looks dead. Right now i thought: it's free ddo month, maybe i'll manage to convince few folks to give it a try. I went to other forum with categories like "looking for mmo", "looking for more players". In category "looking for mmo" almost everyone mention good population. "I want game bla bla bla with good population." You have to understand almost noone wants to play mmo game with empty servers, hours to fill party etc, etc. You don't have to believe me, just do own research. Do polls. Ask those who delete accounts. Look on mmo forums and see by yourself what are players looking for in mmo games. Do anything.

I do want the best for ddo. And it's only my opinion, might be not valid. But if you want any new players to stay in ddo: never, never, never consider wayfinder being default server.